Recruitment
by reno-xxxXXXxxx
Summary: Part IV in a series... The time has come to find Reno's replacement, but there's something weird about one of the candidates that Tseng can't put his finger on. Will the other Turks figure everything out before something terrible happens?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **M'kay, welcome to the sequel! I know this is a little short, and probably boring, but I felt is was nessecary to introduce all the new characters. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1 **

Tseng looked over his list one more time. Before he got started on assignments, he would have to know a little more about his recruits.

"Elena?" Tseng looked over to the blonde, who promptly handed him a file. "Okay, so first… Kia Ford?"

A young girl nodded and stepped forwards, she had waist length, dark brown hair, which was tied up in a ponytail, and brown eyes. She looked slightly fragile, but capable of taking care of herself at the same time.

"Specialising in curative and ice materia? Correct?"

"Yes sir." She replied timidly.

"Right…" Tseng said scanning the list again. Out of all the recruits he had, only Kia seemed to be a master at materia.

"Fletcher? Ruby Fletcher?" Tseng asked, watching as another young girl stepped forward. She was quite a lot shorter than anyone else in the group, with pale grey eyes and shoulder length hair. She looked less nervous than Kia, but still quite unsure of herself. She smiled at Tseng.

"You favour a short sword, no?"

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

"Interesting… sword wielders are usually male. Are you experienced?"

"Yes, sir. I've practised for 6 years." She said, nodding once again.

"Ok… next… a gunner? Camille Andrews?"

"Yes, sir." Another girl stepped out. She was short and slightly stocky, with long, curly, blond hair and blue eyes. She smiled brightly.

"You're a gunner? Do you have any preferences?"

"No, sir, although I tend to work better with a pistol of any sort."

"Right, ok." Tseng nodded at her and she smiled again. "Another sword wielder? He looked over at the group and a young male stepped forward. He had brown, shoulder length hair, and seemingly black eyes. He looked over a Tseng, deadly seriously.

"Joey Harrison… long sword. Looks like you've had a lot of experience."

"Yes, sir." Joey said quietly.

"Kyle Williams?" Tseng addressed the next male in the group, who grinned at him, his nervousness clearly visible in his dark brown eyes. He ran his hand through his spiky blonde hair. "Another gunner… two pistols. Hmm, okay."

"Sir." Kyle nodded his head.

"Okay, nearly there… Anthony Walker?" A reddish-brown haired youth stepped forward. He was the tallest of the group, and was very well built. "A fist fighter?"

"Yes, sir."

"Only one of the group… makes a change… okay last but not least, Phoenix?"

Tseng looked at the black-haired youth Elena had been staring at before. He did look back, but never directly into his eyes. "We have no other information on you… care to share?"

"What you want to know?" Phoenix said. He had the sound of someone who was putting on a polite tone.

"Well, weapon of choice? We need to know at least basic info on all our new recruits."

"I dunno…" Phoenix said, shrugging his shoulders. "Gimme any weapon and I'll probably be able to use it."

"Have you had any experience with weapons?"

"About as much as you could hope for." Phoenix told him bluntly.

"How old are you?" Tseng asked him.

"25."

Tseng stared into Phoenix's eyes, as though daring him to look at him straight back. But he never did. He stood, looking at the floor, waiting for Tseng to finish the questioning.

"Right… that's enough for today. All of you arrive here at 1500 hours tomorrow. And bring your weapons with you… and just to let you know, there will be a physical."

Tseng watched as the new recruits started chattering among themselves, and Phoenix rolled his eyes, heading out of the room before anyone else.

"Sir?" Tseng looked to see Elena standing next to him. "Don't you think there's something… odd about that Phoenix guy?" she asked him.

"Yeah, there is…" Tseng looked as the rest of them began to file out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Okay, I know this is short, and I'm sorry. It wasn't originally gonna be like this, but I cut the chapter in half. Some of you may be able to see why, but if you can't don't worry.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 2 

For some reason, all Tseng could think about for the whole of the next morning was Phoenix. The black-haired youth was certainly odd, but he couldn't lay his finger on what it was. He had said he was 25, but if someone asked Tseng how old he thought he was, he would have said 19 at the most. He could see what Rufus had meant when he said he wasn't sure whether to accept Phoenix or not, his physique was not exactly what Tseng would call Turk material. Although he was tall, he was rather thin, and didn't seem to have any muscle at all. All in all, Tseng wouldn't have thought he was tough enough to defend himself when it cut to the chase. But looks could be deceiving; after all, there had been another Turk like that.

"Sir, it's 2:30." Tseng heard Elena's voice from the doorway. "Don't forget about the new recruits."

"Yes, thank you Elena." Tseng said distantly. He was not looking forward to this, he knew he had to put his new Turks up for physicals, and he knew how much people hated it. And seven people…

Tseng leaned forwards and pushed a button on his phone.

"Hello?" a friendly female voice said.

"Dr Evelyn?"

"Oh, Tseng, is that you?"

"Yeah, you have 7 new Turks for physical examinations later. Is that okay?"

"Yep, that's great. 7 you say?"

"Yeah, 3 female, four male."  
"Alright, thanks for letting me know."

"Ok."

He pushed the button again and left his desk to head for the training arena. There was no point in wasting any time, so he planned to sort other recruits out while each was having a physical.

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As he entered the training arena, he was shocked to see that Kia was already there, sitting alone, fiddling with some materia in her hand. She looked nervous. 

"You okay?" Tseng asked her, sitting next to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she said shakily. She ran her hand through her brown hair, which wasn't tied up this time.

"Nothing is going to happen today, you just have to relax. There's a physical and that's basically it."

"Oh, it's not just today…"

"I see. You're worried about becoming a Turk."

Kia slowly nodded her head and Tseng smiled grimly. "I thought I could do it. It was what I always wanted to do… but now…"

"Don't worry about it. If you weren't nervous at all, I'd think you would make a terrible Turk."

"Really? Why?"

"Because if you are over-confident, you mess up. One of my Turks learned that lesson…"

"Um, sir? I heard someone talking… they said we were replacing someone, is that true?"

"Yes, unfortunately it is." Tseng looked at her sadly.

"Who was it?"

"Reno… he was killed on a mission a few weeks ago." He said quickly.

"Oh…" Kia clearly didn't know what to say.

"Bunch of great conversationalists, aren't ya?" came a voice from the doorway. Tseng and Kia turned to face the speaker.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **OK, I think there's at least one person that understands why this is difficult for me to write, they just don't know it yet lol.

And I know what you mean **Ruby**, I was listening to a sad song while I was writing it : (

Enjoy!

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"Phoenix." Tseng said, standing up. "It's nice of you to join us on time today."

Phoenix didn't reply and went to sit next to Kia, who looked at him nervously.

"Did you bring your weapon, Phoenix?" Tseng asked.

"Like I said, I ain't got one in particular."

"How do you fair as a fist-fighter?"

"Not too bad, not too good." Phoenix said lazily. Tseng rolled his eyes, he really wasn't being very helpful. Then his eye was caught by a large box in the corner of the room. It had been there for a couple of weeks and no one had opened since it was put there.

"Are we late?" Tseng looked over to see Ruby and Anthony standing in the doorway.

"No, just on time actually." Tseng told them, looking at his watch. The two of them entered, followed by Kyle, Joey and Camilla.

Tseng smiled at them and went over to the corner, picking up the box he had previously been looking at. He was happy at that moment that neither Elena or Rihanna were in the room as he lifted out Reno's old EMR.

"EMR?" Phoenix said, almost automatically.

"What do you know about the electro-magnetic rod? After all, this is a Shinra weapon." Tseng said sternly. Phoenix simply stared at the weapon in Tseng's hand.

"I… can't remember…" he said vaguely.

"Right…" Tseng said, slightly confused. "You think you can handle one of these?"

Phoenix nodded his head and help out his left hand, taking the EMR from him.

"As we're going in alphabetical order for physical examinations, Camilla, you're first. Through there." Tseng pointed at the door to their right, and Camilla headed off.

"I see the rest of you brought your weapons." He said to the remaining six Turks, minus Phoenix. "Good. There will be a session soon, where you will each be expected to fight each other. A friendly match of course. Just to see what your strengths and weaknesses are. Some of you may know, the Turks always have partners. Those of you who make it into the Turks, you will be paired off depending on your skills."

"Sir?" Ruby piped up, "How do you who to pair us off with?"

"Each pair will have all round good skills, which means if one of you is better at defence, and one better at attack, it is logical to pair you off. You follow?"

"Yes, sir." Ruby said, nodding.

"When you are positioned with those partners, you are respected to help each other. But if it comes down to it, and you seem like you could become a traitor, you will be annihilated."

Tseng looked around the room. Everyone looked shocked, except Phoenix, who simply looked bored.

"Please note that your partner will have permission to kill you in action if it is seen as necessary."

Tseng paused again as Camille re-entered the room. She smiled at Tseng who then pointed at Ruby.

"Your turn." He said, watching as Ruby left the room.

"Now tell me…" Tseng carried on, "If you were all paired off, and your partner became your greatest friend, how many of you would be willing to kill them if they became a traitor?"

He looked around the room. Most of them looked shocked, and didn't say anything. Camille looked confused, but he figured she'd catch on. Then, Phoenix raised his hand.

"Now, tell me why." Tseng said staring at him.

"Because that is one job of the Turks. Destroy all traitors." Phoenix said in an extremely bored voice.

"That's right." Tseng nodded, although he was now even more suspicious of Phoenix. "Being a Turk is not a nice job. Sometimes you will have to live through your worst nightmare, but its all part of the job. Everything we do is justified."

"What about what I heard? About you killing people who don't deserve it?" Joey said. It was the first time Tseng had heard him speak properly and he didn't like his attitude at all. He was about to say something, then Phoenix piped up.

"Just 'cause you heard it, don't mean it's true. If ya want I can fix it so you won't hear anything again, rumour or otherwise."

"Thank you Phoenix." Tseng interrupted. Joey looked from Phoenix to Tseng, his mouth slightly open, looking like he was about to say something. But the words never came. "That won't be necessary."

"Is in my book..." Phoenix muttered.

"Those rumours are not true. Or, to be precise, they are exaggerated. There is always a reason, even if it is not known by civilians. Anyway, back to the topic; as a Turk, you are expected to do the job by any means necessary. But we will get onto that once we actually know who is a Turk."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Okay, I'm lazy and couldn't be bothered to think of something for Tseng to say while the rest of the Turks were having a physical, so I skipped ahead a little bit.

Enjoy!

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It took a while, but eventually, the only Turk left without having had a physical was Phoenix. Tseng had just left him till last because he didn't fit into his alphabetical list, having not given a second name. After Kyle re-entered the room after having his physical, Phoenix automatically stood up and went through to the doctor.

"Sir?" Tseng looked around to see Elena standing in the doorway to the training arena.

"I was wondering when you might show up." Tseng said.

"Sir, how is it going with the physicals?"

"Great. Phoenix is the only one left now. In fact, could you do me a favour, Elena?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Could you go to Rufus' office, and let him know I'm training up one of the Turks to use an EMR, and tell him it's Phoenix. He may be interested to know."

"Ok." Elena headed off again and Tseng looked at his new recruits. They seemed to be getting along ok together, especially Anthony and Ruby, but he had gotten the impression that they were good friends before they came to Shinra Inc. Then, for some reason, everything went silent as Phoenix re-entered the room; it probably had something to do with the incredible force that he opened the door with. Tseng wasn't quite sure what had gotten him in such a steaming mood, but it was quite clear from the slightly frightened looks the rest of them were giving him, nobody cared much to find out.

Tseng watched as the doctor hurried into the room as well, looking extremely nervous and carrying a clipboard.

"Tseng, sir? I think there's something you might find interesting…" Doctor Evelyn held out the clipboard for Tseng to read.

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"Sir?" Elena tapped Tseng on the shoulder. "What's going on next with the new recruits?" 

"Practise mission. I want to split them up, and send a group with you, a group with Rihanna, and a group with Rude."

"Any ideas on who's with who?" Elena asked.

"Anthony and Ruby can go with Rude. Kia, Camille and Kyle can go with Rihanna… I want you to take Joey and Phoenix."

"Oh, ok. Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, there's always a reason behind everything you do."

"You'll see. I need to talk to the three of you together. Go and get Rude and Rihanna?"

"Yes, sir." Elena nodded her head and left the room.

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Once Rihanna, Elena and Rude were in the room together, Tseng sat them down and looked at them seriously. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy few weeks. 

"You all know what has to be done, right?" He asked. All three of them nodded their heads. "So you all know what could happen? Being a Turk is not an easy job, as you know. And once these people see what we actually do, they may not be so keen to join. Some of them may even resort to … drastic measures. If something does happen, is there any reason any of you won't be able to … put the other Turk down?"

All three of them remained silent, but shook their heads simultaneously.

"Good. And Elena… you need to keep alert. It's obvious by now that there is some of rivalry between Phoenix and Joey already. I don't want any thing… unnecessary to happen."

"I see, sir."

"I'm putting a lot of responsibility on your hands. I'm sorry it has to be you. I want to see what happens."

"I don't…"

"You will understand. Now, take these files…" he handed three purple files to each of them. "Your assignments are clearly explained, you are expected to work as a team. Meet your groups outside the main entrance."

"Now?" Elena asked, shocked.

"Yes, now… but Rihanna, can you wait here a second please?"

Rihanna nodded and dropped miserably back onto her chair.

"Listen, can you do this?" Tseng asked her.

"Huh?"

"I mean, if you can't, I'll take your place."

"No, I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks anyway. It might do me good to actually be doing something."

Tseng nodded and Rihanna got up and left, following the other two to meet her group outside the main entrance. She knew this would be hard; she had not been on a mission since then, so she would probably be reminded a lot about what had happened. Yet for some reason, there was relief at the back of her mind, and she was not quite sure where it had come from.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Oh dear, oh dear… the swearing the terrible swearing… well who can write a Turk fic with no swearing? I sure as hell can't.

Enjoy!

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Elena saw Phoenix straight away. For some reason he caught her eye, and she wasn't quite sure why. He was standing, leaning against the wall, looking distant. He was wearing completely black, a black shirt and black jeans, as none of the new Turks had been given uniforms yet.

"Are you both ready?" Elena asked them. Joey merely nodded without looking at her, but Phoenix stood up straight and smiled.

"So where we goin'?" he asked her.  
"I need to go through it with both of you. Apparently, you two have to complete the mission alone' I'm only here in case of emergencies."

"So what're we doin'?"

"It seems someone has been managing to get inside information on Shinra. We are to go to Wall Market, to question someone there; after finding them apparently. Orders are to interrogate using whatever means necessary, and kill if you have to. Any questions?"

"Yeah." Joey said, in a slightly rude voice. Elena could see Phoenix eye twitch in annoyance. "What's this person's name?"

"We haven't been given one." Elena said blankly.

"So we're expected to murder someone, without even having a clue who it is?"

"That's the point." Phoenix interrupted. Elena knew she shouldn't be, but she was glad he did interrupt; she had never had to handle a situation like that before. "Do you have no brain, or do you just keep it somewhere else? It's easier to kill someone when you don't know their name, because you don't get emotionally attached to them." "You make no sense." Joey said scornfully. Elena knew Phoenix was right however, and it was extraordinary how much he already knew about the Turks.  
"The minute you know someone's name, you know them – at least a little bit. A nameless person is worthless." Phoenix said, scowling.

"You heartless fucker!" Joey shouted. "How can you say that? Any life is worth something."

"Except yours." Phoenix muttered under his breath. "You think every human life is worth something? Then get outta here, this job ain't for you."

Joey scowled at Phoenix, his black eyes filled with a venomous look of pure loathing. Elena sighed; this was going to be a long mission.

"Listen. I know you two aren't going to get on, but can you try to for this mission? Please?" Elena said desperately. There was a split second then when she was actually frightened when both men turned to her, their expressions still livid. But then she felt safer when Phoenix's expression, at least, softened and he smiled at her.

"Ready?" He asked politely.

Elena looked at him, straight in the eyes, as though willing him to stare back at her. But he never did; it seemed as though there was something he was hiding behind that smug smile. She had never noticed it before but he had a recent looking scar down the side of his face, his black hair almost hiding it. There was also something about him, probably the paleness of his skin, that told Elena that black was not his natural hair color. Of course, now was not the time to ask about it.

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Wall market was not the most pleasant of places to be at any time, but when Don Corneo was there it was worse. He was beyond womanizer… beyond pervert. He probably met the mark of rapist. Elena suddenly remembered how much Reno had hated Don Corneo, and often made jokes about him, and even this brought tears to her eyes.

"Elena? Are you okay?" Phoenix asked her, bringing her out of her reminiscence. Elena looked at him, there was something slightly… forced about they way he had just spoken to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, wiping her eyes. "I just… oh we're here!"

Elena and Phoenix thanked the driver who had been hired to take them to Wall Market, and stepped out into the sharp, less-that-fresh air.

"Now for the hard part, we have to find him."

"Do ya have a photo?" Phoenix asked.

"Yeah, I was given a photo." She took it out of the purple file and handed it to him; it showed a middle-aged man, slightly feeble looking, with dark grey eyes and brown hair.

"That guy works with Don Corneo." Phoenix said, handing the photo back to her. "I think we should go and speak with him."

"How do you know that?" Joey said, eyeing the black-haired man suspiciously.

"I have my sources… what's the matter Elena? You look… I dunno…"

"Don Corneo… he just… frightens me a little." Elena said, trying to sound confident.

"Don't worry…" Phoenix smiled at her, "If that half-mad pervert comes anywhere near you… I got ya back."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I apologize for any mistakes etc… I've been ill for a while and I'm struggling to concentrate. Thank you so much to the people who have reviewed so far, it makes me happy that you're all taking notice of the little details I keep putting in. Please keep reviewing.

And don't worry Ruby, I will try and keep the swearing to a minimum.

Enjoy!

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She was supposed to be in charge of her group, and Elena knew it. She did her best to hide her nerves, but it was getting increasingly hard as they approached Don Corneo's mansion. Joey had not said a word, and Phoenix kept slipping her a sly grin every now and then.

"Ok, ready? This is where it really starts. I'm not supposed to help unless absolutely necessary."

"It can't be that hard… let's just go." Joey said impatiently.

"You just wait and see." Phoenix said smirking.

"Damn door's locked." Phoenix said irritably, trying to force open the door. "So he must be out and about somewhere. S'pose we best go find him… look sharp cheery." Phoenix grinned at the miserable look on Joey's face.

"What do you want?" All three of them turned around to see Don Corneo standing behind them.

"Ahh, just the man we were lookin' for." Phoenix said, smiling grimly. He watched as Don Corneo's small blue eyes travelled across the three of them, finally resting on Elena and her immaculate suit.

"You're from Shinra aren't you? I know you…" he said.

"Just shut up and listen to him." Elena said as confidently as she could manage.

"We're lookin for this guy…" Phoenix looked at Elena, and she pulled out the photo of the man she had been showing them earlier.

"Sorry, don't know him." Corneo said, his eyes darting back and forwards.

"Don't you think we know when someone is lying?" Phoenix said, raising an eyebrow. "I have many sharp implements of torture on me, and I don't want to use them. So… do you know him?"

"Y-yes." Corneo seemed more nervous now, and was no longer looking up into Phoenix's eyes; he merely stared at the floor. "He's in the mansion."

"Why keep him locked up? Did you know we'd be after him?"

Elena watched with amazement as Phoenix interrogated Don Corneo. This was the first time he's been actually asked to do anything, and he seemed to know exactly what he was doing. When Elena herself had first joined the Turks, it took her weeks of training to be able to work as efficiently as Phoenix was doing now.

"So, you gonna take us to him, or do I have to force you?"

"C-come with me." Corneo opened the door to his mansion and stepped inside. "Go up the stairs, it's the room on the right.

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"He told you where I was!? The dirty…" The man started as soon as Phoenix, Joey and Elena entered the room.

"Save it." Phoenix said lazily, "and tell us what you know."

"I-I don't know a-anything!" he said, stuttering.

"Oh yeah, like I believe you. You couldn't make it anymore obvious that you're lying." Phoenix said sarcastically, "Now save yourself the pain and tell us."

"A-alright… I was s-supposed to find some information about Shinra…" The man said, trembling.

"Who for?" Phoenix said threateningly.

"I-I can't tell you…" The man said, holding his hands in front of his face as though to ward the Turks off. Phoenix smiled evilly at him and pulled a small knife out of his pocket.

"Care to try again?" He asked.

"I don't know his name… they are… they w-want to bring down Shinra!" The man said quickly. "Please don't hurt me… I-I don't know anymore!"

"Ah but you do. You know all of Shinra's biggest secrets now, don't ya?"

"W-what?"

"Hey, 'Lena… what do you think?" Phoenix turned his piercing gaze to vaguely Elena's direction, smirking. Elena stared at him, slightly shocked for some reason.

Elena merely nodded her head.

"Sorry and all that…" Phoenix pulled his recently acquired gun out and aimed it at the mans head. They all watched as he cowered in fear, then Phoenix pulled the trigger and it was all over.

"Well done." Elena said. "Let's go."

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**A/N: **I know Joey hasn't had a lot to say in this chapter, but there's a reason for that, I did it on purpose 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **This is a perfect example of how my crappy handwriting is massive compared to typed work. This damn chapter was 5 pages, written by hand!! YES 5!!! Anymoo, I wrote this while I was on vacation, which I forgot to tell you guys about, that's why I haven't updated in so long. Sorry everyone.

Enjoy **

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**Chapter 7**

It didn't take the three Turks long to get back to Shinra Inc, but all the way there, Elena couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. She couldn't believe how efficient Phoenix had just done his job; that was sure to please Tseng. But Joey on the other hand – well, she could feel that he would be the first of the seven Turks to go. His only problem was that he wouldn't co-operate with Phoenix, but a good Turks should never let personal issues get in the way of doing their job properly.

"You okay, Elena?" Phoenix asked. Elena turned sharply and smiled.

"Yeah…" she pulled the entrance door open and let Joey and Phoenix through. "Listen, I'll have to go report to Tseng." She looked briefly at her watch. "Rude and Rihanna are probably already there; we're running kinda late."

"Ok." Phoenix nodded and shot her a sly smile before looking over at Joey. Elena grinned at headed off towards Tseng's office.

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As Elena approached Tseng's office, she saw Rude and Rihanna already standing outside, probably waiting for Tseng to return. 

"How'd it go?" Elena asked. Rude merely shrugged his shoulders, but Rihanna looked up at her, her eyes glistening with tears. "Are you alright?" Elena asked, concerned.

"Yeah…" Rihanna sighed, running her hand through her fiery red hair. "It's just been a little… Kyle kept asking me about Reno."

"Oh no… Are you alright?" Elena sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Camille nearly got shot so that distracted them for a while."

"As long as you're alright… maybe we should speak to Tseng…"

"Thanks… so how did your mission go?" Rihanna asked, she suddenly smiled. "I heard there's a bit of… rivalry between Joey and Phoenix…"

"Yeah, something like that…" Elena sighed again, "I think Joey's a little jealous of him actually, and Phoenix does all he can to get on Joey's nerves." Elena couldn't stop herself from smiling as she said this.

"Ah, I see…" Rihanna rolled her eyes. "So who do you think will be the first to try and ditch the job?"

"Joey. Out of my group anyway… Phoenix did all the work there. In fact, I'm shocked at how well he actually did it."

"Really? How do you mean?"

"He knew exactly what he was doing the whole time. He did it better than any of us could probably do… then he killed our guy without hesitation. Usually new recruits hate it; I know I did."

"Well…" Rihanna seemed to have cheered up dramatically. "There's definitely something odd about Phoenix, I've thought that since the first day I met him. Has Yuffie met him yet?"

"No, she hasn't… we've been too tied up in all this new recruit stuff, I haven't seen her in a while either. But anyway, how did your mission go Rude?"

"Not great…"

"Why?"

"Our guy had to be killed as well… Ruby didn't like it."

"She'll get used to it…" Elena said, "No one's keen to begin with."

"More than that… she's been in hysterics since we got back. I don't think she wants to be a Turk anymore."

"Well surely she knew roughly what we do?" Rihanna enquired.

"It's always the same." Rude sighed. "They think they want to do it, but when it comes down to it, they don't have the heart."

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**A/N: **Meh, I forgot about Yuffie lol. She'll be in chapters soon, I had another brainwave on what's gonna happen. 


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Meh, I've been in an emotional writing kinda mood all day, so here we go. Lotsa emotion in it, and a nice big twist for ya all to enjoy. If you were even close to guessing what was going on, this will throw you off-track. XD. So anymoo, I had some musical inspiration for this a little bit : If ya like Blink182, go watch this Angels and Airwaves vid : http://uk. random video suggestions aside, Enjoy! I like this chapter lol**

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**Chapter 8**

For some reason, everything seemed extremely quiet as Elena sat in her apartment that night. She sat on her bed, looking out of the window. She had spent many nights doing this after that day… she had spent hours revisiting Reno's last minutes. It was only recently she figured out she couldn't do that; she needed to move on. But now she was doing it again. Suddenly her eye was caught by something on her bedside table; a photograph. Elena felt her eyes sting with tears as she saw it was the photograph Reno had shown her, when she had first learnt about Rihanna. The siblings stood together, happy as ever, completely unaware that twice they would loose each other. But then over the desperate sadness, another emotion took over; confusion. How had that photo got there? It had always been in Reno's apartment, and as far as she knew, no one had taken it…

As she stared into the photo, she was suddenly overwhelmed by another wave of sadness for Reno. Time seemed to have slipped by so fast… she could still remember meeting him for the first time, and now she would never see him again. She looked up sharply as she swore she heard someone moving downstairs. With the photo still in her hand, she stood up and made her way out of the room.

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"Elena?" As she entered the darkened living room, she heard a very familiar voice and saw a silhouette of a spiky-haired individual by the door. For some reason, Elena felt her heart leap, then the light was flicked on, and Phoenix looked over at her and smiled.

"Oh, it's you." Elena said.

"Don't sound too disappointed." Phoenix said, laughing.

"No, I was just… you frightened me. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." Phoenix said, still smiling. Elena looked at him, there was something strange about the way he was looking at her, his smile looked sort of unnaturally kind. "I was wonderin' how you were holdin' up. You seemed pretty down earlier."

"I'm ok." Elena said, suddenly remembering the photo she still had clutched to her chest. "Just… missing someone…"

"Reno?" Phoenix said, and he looked her briefly directly in the eyes for the first time since that time when all the new recruits first arrived.

"Yeah… I thought it had sunk in that he was g-gone… but I guess is hasn't…"

"It's ok, I know what it feels like to loose someone special…" Phoenix said sadly, looking at the floor. Then he pointed at Elena's photo. "What's that?"

Elena held out the photo for him to take. As he held it, his hand seemed to shake, and he was looking at it with some sort of longing look in his eyes.

"That's Rihanna, so that's Reno?" he said, pointing to Reno.

"Yeah, that's him." Elena said. Before Phoenix could reply, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Elena said loudly. The door opened and Yuffie entered, looking grim. Then her jaw dropped as she looked directly at Phoenix.

"Hey Yuffie." Elena said. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, I know, sorry about that…" Yuffie said, still not taking her eyes off Phoenix.

"Oh sorry, Yuffie. This is Phoenix, one of the Turks newest recruits." Elena said smiling.

"So… umm, Phoenix?" Elena said slightly nervously. She, Yuffie and Phoenix had been sat talking for about half an hour now, and Elena felt the time was right to ask. "You said you knew what it felt like to loose someone special?"

"It was my mother." Phoenix replied instantly. He seemed surprisingly cheerful about it. "She died a little while ago. Murdered."

"Oh… that's sad. What was her name?" Elena asked. She thought she should check that it wasn't the Turks that killed her at least.

"Vanessa." Phoenix said blankly. "Her name was Vanessa."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Woo chapter 9. Sorry I seem to have been updating everything a little slow :S I'm getting behind. Well, I got there eventually

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 9**

"Come on Elena, you heard him say it." Yuffie said for not the first time that day, "He's dangerous, Tseng needs to know."

"No." Elena shook her head. "If I tell Tseng, he'll probably kill Phoenix…"

"Good… better you than him, don't you realise that he could kill you at any time? He's a vampire…"

"But he hasn't even tried yet… Yuffie please, I get the feeling that there's more to this than meets the eye."

"If Reno couldn't stop himself from being killed by them, I doubt you can." Yuffie said, suddenly raising her voice. Her deep brown eyes were filled with tears.

"Yuffie…" Elena said sadly, "Reno d-died on purpose, and you know that he d-did…" She took a deep breath and looked Yuffie directly in the eyes. "I know what I'm doing. There is something about Phoenix that's just not quite right, and I need to know what it is before I tell Tseng. I can handle myself just fine, just like Reno could if… if he had wanted to."

"I know… I'm sorry." Yuffie hung her head. "I just… don't want the same thing to happen again."

"It won't." Elena smiled at her. She understood exactly where her friend was coming from. Reno was probably the best thing that had happened to her for a long time, and she had watched him give up his life to save hers. It was hard on all of them after all.

* * *

Elena was finding it difficult to concentrate. She had been sitting, trying to work for hours, but really seemed to have accomplished nothing. Then suddenly, her office door opened slowly and Phoenix slipped in, an extremely nervous look on his face.

"Phoenix?" Elena said concernedly, "Are you alright?" She looked at the black-haired individual; he seemed to have turned sheet white for some reason, and was shaking slightly.

"Listen, 'Lena, you know what I told you yesterday?" He said shakily, "You haven't told anyone have you?"

"Umm, no." Elena said, frowning, "What's the matter?"

"I just… don't tell anyone ok?" He looked around the room, his eyes flicking from the window to the door. "I know… she was a vampire, and I just… don't think it's a very good idea for people to know." He said very quickly, yet reluctantly.

"Hey, hey, calm down." Elena said, putting her hands out in front of her, "I'm not gonna tell anyone, I've already thought all this through."

"Thanks." He said, breathing deeply. "I know why they made you a Turk."

"That's nothing… just a bit of advice though. If you happen to run into Yuffie again… well, try and avoid her. She wanted to tell Tseng, but I persuaded her not to."

"Really?" Phoenix's face fell, "Why would she do that?"

"Did no one tell you? Reno was her boyfriend, and he was killed by your sister." Elena said, her eyes wide. She watched Phoenix as the news sunk in, and then he shook his head. "What?" Elena asked.

"I don't know... I just feel… strange." He said, shaking his head. His face was still as pale as it was earlier, and he looked slightly sickly. "Sorry…" he uttered.

"Don't worry about it… Is everything ok?"

"Yeah… I'm just gonna head off now."

"Ok, and by the way, you may want to find out from Tseng when the sparring is gonna be." Elena suggested.

"What?"

"The sparring. Tseng did mention it; all the new recruits have to fight… to determine strengths and weaknesses… the safest way is to fight the other Turks."

"Did you all have to do that?" Phoenix asked.

"I didn't, but Rude did."

"So who did he have to fight?"

"I don't know exactly… I wasn't there at the time. But I know he wiped the floor with all the new recruits, and most of the existing Turks; except Reno. That's why they were partners."

"Oh I see, so you and Rude will be taking part?"

"Yeah, and probably Rihanna as well."

"You got any idea when that's gonna be?" he asked. He seemed worried again for some reason.

"Nope, you'll have to ask Tseng if you really want to know."

"Ok." Phoenix stepped forwards and opened the door; Elena could see his hand was still shaking. "I'll see you around." He stepped through the door and closed it behind him, leaving Elena alone in her office.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Ahhh the updating goodness. A true test to show how craply (is that a word?) I write action scenes.

Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 10**

_Maybe I should have checked out when these sparring sessions were myself…_

Elena stood on the side of the training arena, slightly nervous, watching all the other recruits. She was quite surprised at the way Tseng had worked the sparring this time. Each of the old Turks; Elena, Rude and Rihanna had been assigned a day. On their day they would fight against all seven of the new recruits, and Elena was lucky enough to have to spa the next day.

"Are you ready, Elena?" Tseng asked her. "You have a lot of responsibility here. I need you to take note of each Turks strengths and weaknesses. Make sure you do it right."

Tseng cleared his throat loudly, and the whole room fell silent. Elena had often wondered how Tseng had so much presence when he didn't look particularly physically intimidating.

"You all know what's going to happen, I assume. For the safety of everyone else, you are not allowed to use weapons of any sorts. To save time, the winner will be the last man standing. If you get thrown to the floor, you lose. After you have gone against Elena, Rude and Rihanna, I will decide which of you will fight against each other, to determine partnership. The whole process will probably take the best part of a week. Any questions?"

Elena watched as Tseng looked at the recruits. Most of them were grouped together, Ruby was shaking, pressing into Anthony who had his arm around her. Kyle, Camille and Kia were all standing nearby, looking equally nervous. Joey stood, scowling at the floor, and Phoenix was away from the rest of them, staring out of the window, smirking slightly. He seemed to be the only one who wasn't nervous. Elena took note of Phoenix's strange behaviour, slightly taken aback by the fact that she was probably more nervous than he was.

"Right." Tseng nodded at Elena. "When you're ready."

Elena nodded and stepped inside the arena, as Tseng went to speak to the rest of the recruits. She had no idea who would be first, but for some reason, she knew that Phoenix would be last. She watched as Ruby nodded and stepped forwards, walking shakily towards Elena, her grey eyes filled with some sort of terror. Elena smiled weakly.

"Don't hold anything back." Elena said encouragingly. She looked over at Tseng who nodded his head. "Go."

Ruby, despite being so nervous, wasted no time in charging for Elena. Elena wondered briefly why she was keeping her arms so low, then she remembered that Ruby's primary weapon was a short sword, and fist fighting was not her speciality.

Elena knew that this was going nowhere, so as Ruby thrust her hand forward, Elena caught her wrist and twisted it back, so Ruby's back was to her. Then she caught her foot behind Ruby's leg and kicked it out from under her, causing her to fall to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Elena said, helping Ruby to her feet.

"Yeah." She said shakily, but relieved. She dusted off her clothes and smiled at Elena.

"You did well..." Elena said nodding. "…Despite fist fighting not being a key talent. Well done."

Ruby nodded and went off the join the other recruits. Elena watched as Tseng began talking to Anthony. She was not looking forward to fighting him, mainly because of their size difference and he looked to be the most physically able out of the whole group. Elena's heart leapt as Anthony began walking in her direction.

"Don't look so worried." He said in a deep husky voice. "I'm the rookie now."

Elena laughed lightly and readied herself for action. She knew that Anthony would have an advantage over her as he was specifically trained in fist-fighting. She nodded and immediately tried to make the first move on him. He tried to catch him unaware, but he got there first, pushing his fist into her arm with immense strength, almost forcing her to the floor. Elena took a step backwards to try and avoid the next punch, but Anthony was always one step ahead of her, and thrust his foot forwards, catching her leg. She stumbled, but managed to keep her balance and threw her hand forwards, catching him quite hard in the shoulder. He stepped backwards, regaining his balance and brought his leg back around again, this time managing to lift Elena's feet from beneath her, and she fell hard to the ground.

"Well done." Elena said, catching her breath. He was truly a talented fighter. Anthony offered a hand.

"You put up a good fight. I know why you're a Turk." Anthony said, smiling at her. "I'll have to train hard to get as tactile as you."

"But you beat me…" Elena said, slightly confused.

"Only because I have more strength behind me." He smiled again. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

"No, I'm fine." Elena said, brushing the dust off her clothes. She looked over at Tseng.

"Take a break." He said, nodding his head.

Elena smiled and looked over at the others again. Two of the recruits were staring over at her. Joey, who was looking right at her with some sort of disbelief plastered on his face. And Phoenix, who was half smirking, and when he saw Elena watching him, he gave her a swift thumbs-up.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Yayz, I think I probably did a little better with the action scenes in this one, probably coz they actually had a point to them. Chapter is a little short, but that was the most appropriate cut-off point for obvious reasons.

Enjoy **

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**Chapter 11**

It didn't take long for Elena to fight the other recruits. She had easily beaten Camille and Kia, although they had put up a good fight. Kyle however was a different story, and he had managed to catch her off guard and land her on the floor.

Only Joey and Phoenix remained, and despite Joey being told to go next, he was reluctant.

"Go on Joey." Phoenix said, slapping him on the back. "Show us ya skill."

Elena put her hand over her mouth, hiding the smile that had just formed on her face. She looked at Joey seriously as he began to approach her, then he smiled arrogantly.

"This should be fun." He said. Elena felt a nerve twitch and she scowled at the brown-haired youth. She looked over at Tseng and he nodded, indicating for her to start.

Joey made the first move, hitting her unnecessarily hard in the shoulder. She staggered a little, and then regained herself, even angrier. There was no way she would let this jerk beat her.

She kicked him in the leg, resisting the temptation to kick a little higher, because she knew Tseng would not allow that. He jumped backwards and laughed.

"Come on." He said. "You're supposed to be a Turk!"

Elena gritted her teeth and thrust her fist forward as hard as he possibly could, making contact with Joey's face. This was no longer a friendly match; Elena was doing this out of pure hatred. Joey stumbled a little, almost falling over, but not quite. Elena hated to admit it, but Joey was a good fighter, and there was no way she could win this without and sort of weapon or materia. She was more of a fighter of tactics instead of just physical strength. She looked briefly over at Phoenix while Joey was pulling himself together and saw he was standing quite close, with a look of immense concentration on his face. He had his hand in his pocket and was muttering something under his breath.

"Don't think it's over yet." Joey suddenly said forcefully, then flew at Elena, obviously giving her everything he had, Elena did her best to block him, but he caught her, in the stomach, and he stopped as she leaned over, winded. For a brief second, Joey looked slightly stunned; Elena took this as her chance, and threw another punch at him. She caught him hard in the face; he cringed, cursed loudly, and then fell over.  
Elena sighed a breath of relief and looked over at Phoenix, who was smiling mischievously. Elena could feel her hand tingling, slightly too much for just a punch. The feeling was familiar, and she suddenly remembered Reno teasing her with his EMR, giving her an electric shock. That's what it was; somehow, Joey had given her an electric shock.

"Well, my turn, eh 'Lena?" Phoenix said smiling. Elena stared at him; she hadn't even noticed him walk up. "Ready for it?"

Elena smiled and nodded her head. Phoenix grinned and stepped back, obviously waiting for her to make the first move. She ran at him, immediately trying to get his legs, to trip him. It would have been the easiest way, but Phoenix's agility was astonishing, and he always managed to move out of the way.

"You'll keep doing that…" Phoenix said, still dodging out of the way, "And you'll end up down just 'cause I catch you off-guard."

Elena smiled at him and stepped off, seeing if he would attack her.

"My turn." He said, smirking. He threw a light punch at Elena, obviously not his best, and she blocked it easily. "Nice." Phoenix said. Elena was slightly confused for a minute, and then nearly screamed as she felt something catch her leg and pull her over. Phoenix had just managed to trip her up when she wasn't even moving. She soon began to laugh at herself; he had told her what he was going to do, and she hadn't paid any attention. He would make a better Turk than she was.

"Nice." He said, offering a hand. Elena stood up and dusted herself off. "You know where you went wrong I s'pose?" he asked smiling. Elena was surprised to find that she wasn't angry at Phoenix talking down at her, but for the second time her life, she felt like a rookie.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Ok, first I have to apologize if my writing's not that good at the moment. I saw something today over on dA that really, _really_ upset and disturbed me. I don't know what kind of effect that will have on my writing, but I'm hoping I'll be over it soon. I'm starting to include Rihanna in the story a little more now.

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 12**

"Good job Elena." Tseng said encouragingly, tapping her on the shoulder. "You did well. You can report everything to me tomorrow. You may leave." He raised his voice slightly with the last part, so the rest of the recruits could hear. Most of them made for the door immediately, but Phoenix stayed behind, seemingly waiting for Elena.

"You okay?" he asked as she joined him. The two of them exited the training arena.

"Yeah." Elena replied happily. "Just tired."

"You did well, especially against Joey." He turned his gaze to her, giving her one of his extremely rare, direct-in-the-eyes stare. Elena felt her spine tingle.

"I didn't do that well against Joey. And of course, I would have done worse if it wasn't for you." Elena said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Phoenix asked. He was playing innocent but he had a distinct mischievous glint in his aqua eyes.

"You have bolt materia in your pocket." Elena smiled.

"I thought you might have noticed." Phoenix grinned slyly. "But I couldn't stand there and watch him beat you."

"Thanks." Elena said quietly. The two of them had just exited the building. "Listen, I'm gonna go over to Rihanna's place and see her. You want to come?"

"Sure." Phoenix shrugged his shoulders. "Haven't got anything else planned."

* * *

Elena had the feeling that something was off, the minute she and Phoenix entered Rihanna's street. She didn't know why, but she knew something was wrong. Then they heard it – raised voices. One of the voices was definitely Rihanna, and the other one gave Elena a sense of horrid familiarity. 

"Can't you see that's not gonna work?!" they heard Rihanna shout.

"I just want to know where I stand." The other, slightly quieter male voice said.

Elena picked up her pace, hearing Phoenix's footsteps grow faster behind her. When they reached Rihanna's apartment, they saw her standing in her front doorway, and a slightly shorter blonde man standing in front of her.

"Rihanna?" Elena said loudly. The redhead looked up at them, and the blonde turned around. "Cloud, what are you doing here?" Elena asked angrily.

"Wha..? You're dead…" Cloud stammered. Elena furrowed her brow for a second, before she realised he was looking at Phoenix.

"You will be if you don't leave her alone." Phoenix said angrily.

"Cloud." Rihanna said sadly. "Please, just go."

Cloud turned to Rihanna then back to Phoenix again. He gave them one last pitiful look, and then left. Rihanna put her had to her head, and then began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Rihanna." Elena cried, running up to her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm s-sorry." Rihanna said, calming down a little. "He just b-brought up so m-much."

"Don't worry about it." Elena said, putting a comforting arm around her.

"Sorry." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Come in."

"On second thought…" Phoenix said suddenly. "I'd better go. It's gettin' late. Bye 'Lena. Rihanna." He nodded his head once and hurried off.

"What was that about?" Rihanna asked. The two of them stepped inside and Rihanna closed the door.

"I have no idea." Elena said, shaking her head. "He's certainly a strange guy."

"Umm, what about what Cloud said?" Rihanna asked awkwardly, while she and Elena sat down. "He thought he was dead."

"I think he was talking about Reno." Elena said grimly. "Phoenix and Reno do look a lot alike."

"Yeah, they do… but there's something not right about him." Rihanna sat bolt upright. "I mean, like he's hiding something."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Elena said, scratching her head, "But, I can't shake the feeling that something is going to happen. There's that kind of… atmosphere."

"Rude has seemed a little uptight lately too. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he didn't want to do the sparring." Rihanna told her.

"Did he say why? It's not like him…" Elena said.

"Nope… when I asked he just said he didn't know." Rihanna said shaking her head. "I have a feeling that Rude knows more about what's going on than we do."

"I have a feeling _everyone _knows more about what's going on that we do." Elena sighed. "Even Tseng's hiding things. It's obvious."

"Well." Rihanna suddenly grinned. "I think it's time we took matters into our own hands."

"Huh?" Elena raised an eyebrow. It seemed like the 'Reno' side of Rihanna was showing through.

"Well if no-one else will tell us what they know about Phoenix, we'll have to find it out for ourselves. We're Turks, so it shouldn't be too hard." Rihanna smiled at Elena.

"I suppose." Elena replied. "But the thing is, Phoenix will know what we're doing. He's a better Turk than either of us."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Ok, this chapter may be short, and it may not be that good, but it took me a hell of a long time to word it right. I ended up doing the chapter over again twice. So, this is likely to confuse you guys even more, just coz I like it

Oh, and the paragraph that begins.. "Phoenix sighed and ran his long fingers through his jet black hair..." -- that was the first paragraph I actually wrote for this story, it somehow ended up being randomly thrown in here lol

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 13**

Elena entered the training arena, knowing that the others would probably already be there. Sure enough, the new recruits were ready and waiting, looking not quite as nervous as they were yesterday. Elena smiled at them and sat down near Phoenix.

"Who is it today?" he asked her quietly.

"Rihanna." Elena told him.

"Ah, the redhead." Phoenix smiled to himself. "Should be interesting."  
"Hm?" Elena frowned slightly.

"The bolt materia in my pocket…" he grinned, pulling the glowing materia out. "It's just dying to give Joey a shock."  
"You know you shouldn't do that." Elena said, but grinning anyway.

"Don't matter… I got a feeling that I won't be needing to use it anyway." Phoenix smirked to himself and put the glowing green ball back in his pocket.

"Why?" Elena looked around the room, only just realizing that Joey was absent. Then, just as she was about to ask, the man in question entered the room. He was sporting a slightly black eye, and looked generally battered all over. Elena watched him as he approached the group, then saw Tseng look directly over at Phoenix.

"Phoenix?" he said loudly. Phoenix looked over and grinned at Tseng.

"Just doing a little extra sparring." He said innocently. Tseng laughed slightly then looked away, ignoring Joey's furious glares.

Phoenix sighed and ran his long fingers through his jet black hair, lifting his long bangs on his pale face. Elena looked briefly at him and could have sworn she saw something that shouldn't have been there. She didn't have time to register it before he flattened the front of his hair down again. But of course, she had forgotten about the scar on his face, which for some reason was more obvious sometimes than others. She had probably just seen that.

"You ok, 'Lena?" Phoenix asked her. Elena looked away embarrassedly; she hadn't realized she had been staring at him.

"Yeah." She jumped of her seat. "I'm gonna go do some paperwork." She lied quickly. "When Rihanna comes, can you tell her I'll be back before she finishes?"

"Yeah, sure." Phoenix said casually. Elena smiled at him, and left through the door to the locker rooms.

The first thing she spotted was a black bag laying on one of the benches. She knew it belonged to Phoenix because she had seen him with it earlier. As she peered inside it, she saw the faint glow of materia; except something wasn't right. This materia was different, but in a way it was very familiar to her. He reached out to take it, but her heart leapt as another hand snapped onto her wrist.

"You know…" A man whispered into her ear from behind her. "It's not a polite thing to do, searching through someone's bag."

Elena pulled her wrist free and twisted around to see an unfamiliar man standing behind her. He had short black hair, with a handsome dark face, and glowing red eyes. He grinned at Elena to show a pair of sharp, deadly-looking fangs. Elena's eyes widened in terror.

"Who are you?" she asked quickly.

"I don't think that matters. I think all that matters at the moment…" he pulled the strange materia from Phoenix's bag and pocketed it. "… Is that I get my materia back."

Elena was too petrified to say anything, but stared directly into the man's red eyes. The deeper she looked, the more familiar he became to her, until she wasn't quite as sure that they hadn't met before.

"Oh, and the answer to your question… my name?" the man turned to leave through the fire exit to their right. "It's Phoenix."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Another chapter that I had to redo about a million times. Well, it's kinda short so I feel kinda bad, but at least I update reguarly right? I was gonna tell you something about this chapter, but I changed my mind, I don't wanna give too much away.

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 14**

"Elena, are you alright?" Elena jolted and turned to see Phoenix smiling at her; the real Phoenix.

"Yeah…" she said, looking around her. She hadn't even noticed that the fighting was finished, and she saw Rihanna hanging around by the exit. "I got to go, see you later." She said quickly, running towards Rihanna.

"What's the matter?" Rihanna said hastily, rushing forwards to meet Elena.

"Rihanna… I just found something…"

"What..?" Rihanna stood with her arms loosely by her side, utterly lost for words.

"That's what he said." Elena said quietly. "I don't know what's going on, but it's weird…"

"Tell me about it…" Rihanna said breathlessly. "So this other Phoenix guy, did he look anything like out Phoenix?"

"No, nothing like him. Except his hair was black." Elena said.

"We really don't need this… another vampire…" Rihanna said sighing.

"I know… we really ought to do something about his, before someone else gets hurt." Elena said. "Do you think we should just tell Tseng? It's starting to get dangerous now."

"I don't know… I'm worried about what Tseng will do to Phoenix if we tell him." Rihanna said, sighing. "And what the hell do you want?" she said suddenly, her brow furrowing. Elena turned to see Joey standing nearby; he smirked and walked off. Elena heart seemed to speed up; how much had he heard?

"Let's go." Rihanna said. The expression on her face seemed to express how Elena was feeling inside.

* * *

The two of them arrived at Elena's office, and sat down. Neither of them knew what to do about Phoenix. It was too confusing, and in a way, very distressing that all this had to be dragged up again. To have to deal with another vampire would end up being like reliving that day again; and Elena didn't think she could handle it. 

"I think…" Elena said suddenly. "We should tell Tseng."

"Are you sure? Do you know what could happen to Phoenix?" Rihanna said raising her eyebrows.

"I know… anything could happen. If Tseng actually believes what we say, Phoenix could end up being killed. But I don't think I can live through this again, and I'm sure you can't."

"No I wouldn't be able to handle it… but Phoenix is _not _a vampire." Rihanna said forcefully.

"Not our Phoenix… but there must be some sort of connection between them." Elena scratched her head. "But Tseng wouldn't make an impulsive decision like that. Not if he didn't think Phoenix had anything to do with this."

"You're right… well, we'll see what happens. I think it's time we headed home now." Rihanna said. She smiled at Elena, grabbed her bag and exited

Elena hated the situation she was in. She was torn between two ultimate decisions and either way someone could be killed. In the short time she had known Phoenix, she had grown to care deeply for him, and she didn't think she could live with herself if he was killed. It seemed like she had known him much longer, and she had already become used to having him around. In fact, she hated to admit it to herself, but she knew she was only using Phoenix as a replacement for Reno. She had gotten so close to Reno, when he went he seemed to take a part of her with him, and somehow, Phoenix was perfect to fill that place, and make her feel something close to whole again.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **Sorry the much longer than usual wait, but I have exams these two weeks. So, I hope this makes up for it. I tried extra hard on this, and I said it was part of my English Literature revision lol.

Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 15**

Elena stood outside Tseng's office. Luckily (or unluckily) for her, Tseng was away, so she was left in a difficult situation, as she was starting to have second thoughts about telling him. She thought about Phoenix, and the relationship she had formed with him, and she really didn't know if she could go through the whole thing if Tseng suspected anything. She would be nothing more than a traitor.

"Elena?" the blonde looked up to see Rihanna rushing up to her. "Are you gonna tell him?"

"No…" Elena said. She wasn't quite sure what had made her say this so suddenly, but she knew what she wanted to do now. She smiled at Rihanna and the two of them made their way back to Elena's office.

"Hey, 'Lena?" Elena turned sharply and felt a random pang of guilt as she saw Phoenix smiling at her.

"Hey…" Elena opened her office door and she, Rihanna and Phoenix entered.

"It's Rude tomorrow isn't it?" Phoenix asked, sitting down, "What are the odds of me gettin' totally crushed?"

"You never know, depends what mood you catch him in." Elena said smiling.

"Right…" Phoenix flashed a grin in her direction. "What about Joey? I think our very own guy with a stick up his ass will get completely annihilated."

"Yeah…" Elena laughed. She heard Rihanna stifle a laugh behind her as well. "Umm… Phoenix?" Elena suddenly said seriously.

"Yeah?"

"What materia do you have?"

"Materia?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Only my bolt materia. Why?"

"I just… never mind." Elena shook her head and looked at Rihanna. The redhead looked like she was about to say something, but a sharp glare from Elena and she quickly shut her mouth.

"Well… If there are no more random questions, I'll be on my way then. See ya."

Phoenix shot them one last grin and left, shutting the door forcefully behind him.

Elena looked down at her desk thoughtfully. She didn't know if it was just her, but something seemed a little odd about Phoenix just then. He looked strained, and his hands were shaking slightly all the time. Despite his never-faltering cheerfulness, his usually bright aqua eyes were clouded over with some sort of worry.

"You noticed it too?" Rihanna asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"Phoenix. I don't know what's up with him…" Rihanna shook her head slowly. "But I wanna find out."

"Well, either he's lying about that materia, which means he's hiding something, or he doesn't even know. He seems to have gaps in his memory."

"Well, I'm gonna find out. I don't care what it takes, I'm gonna do it." Rihanna stood up determinedly. She left the room, and muttered something on her way out. Elena didn't catch what she said, but she was sure she said something about Reno.

Elena sighed to herself. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she had had the feeling since Phoenix arrived that someone was going to end up getting hurt, and know she was starting to think it would be Rihanna.

"Elena?" Elena looked up as her office door opened and Tseng entered. "Have you seen Phoenix?"

"He was in here a minute ago…" Elena said.

"I haven't seen him or Joey for hours." Tseng said, his eyes narrowing. "Well, you may as well head home. And if by any chance you see either of them two, tell them to come and report to me."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Everything was silent, and somehow eerie. It was starting to get dark, and Elena picked up her pace, only hearing her shoes pounding the pavement, and her ever-quickening heartbeat in her head. Then she heard it; a blood-curdling scream. It was coming from somewhere in the direction of Elena's street. As her steady walking pace turned into a quick run, she turned sharply around as she saw a figure run past her. She could hear the man's heavy breathing as he tried to run past her, but she spontaneously kicked her foot out and tripped him, sending him flying.

"What?" The man shouted loudly, but slightly shakily. Elena recognized the voice immediately.

"Joey? What are you doing?" She asked.

"Nothing." Joey stood up sharply and sprinted away from her without looking back. Elena stood there, wondering what had actually just happened. Then she remembered the scream. Something had happened, and Joey knew what. She shook her head and looked behind her, just in case Joey had somehow decided to wait behind, then sprinted off in the direction he had come from.

* * *

**A/N: **I do love them cliffhangers lol 


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **omfg... seriously, I'm SO pleased with this chapter. When I was bored yesterday, I decided to re-read Echoes in the Snow, to see how I'd improved and writing, and I ended up thinking "hang on, this is better than what I'm doing now." It seems I've gotten lazy with description in this story, so I tried extra hard, and there's much more description than speech in this. I think I may have had writers block without realizing it, which I am now over!

Yay for musical inspiration - Apologize by One Republic and Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright are responsible for the emotional stuff in this chapter lol. Anymoo...

Enjoy

**

* * *

Chapter 16**

Everything seemed silent. Elena couldn't find anything out of place; everything was just as it had been before. Still unsure, she began to walk back to her apartment, deciding it wasn't likely she would find anything in the dark anyway.

"L-Lena?" She heard a weak but very familiar voice from somewhere nearby. She stopped walking and listened.

"Hello?" she said quietly. She watched the alleyway on her right as a hunched up, black-haired figure came into the light of the streetlamp.

"Phoenix?" Elena rushed over to the figure and put her arm around his shoulder. "Oh my God… what happened to you?"

She steadied herself as Phoenix let his entire weight drop on her. She leaned forwards and looked at him; his black hair was matted with blood, and his face and entire body was covered with various cuts and bruises.

"Joey…" he muttered.

Elena looked at him, puzzled slightly. She shifted her position slightly as Phoenix started coughing, causing him to lurch forwards.

"What happened?" she asked him urgently, as she sat him down on the floor against the wall; she didn't have the strength to carry on supporting him. She looked at him, and saw his once white shirt was plastered with blood; too much for the small cuts that covered him.

He coughed again and Elena looked at him concernedly. Then, oblivious to what Phoenix would think if her suspicions were wrong, she carefully unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a plain wound at the bottom of his stomach, obviously from a bullet.

"Did Joey do this?" she asked him quietly. Phoenix nodded.

Elena shook her head, running her finger gently around the wound. Then another wound caught her attention. There were about 5 slashes across his stomach, too much healed over to have been done recently, but too open to be old wounds. What had happened to him? Elena had a feeling that Phoenix had been involved in something pretty serious before he decided to join the Turks. More to the point, why did Joey do this to him? Phoenix was too skilled in combat for Joey to have been able to cause all the smaller wounds straight away, so the only explanation was that he was shot first, then Joey kicked him when he was down, like the cowardly scum he was. But why?

Then she remembered. The conversation she had had with Rihanna.

"_What the hell do you want?"_

Rihanna had snapped at him, but it didn't stop the fact that he had heard every word they had said. Had he done it on purpose just to spite the fact that Elena had chosen not to tell Tseng? Or was he truly trying to protect them? It was obvious to Elena which one was true, but now wasn't the time to be thinking about it.

"Phoenix?" she shook him lightly; he appeared to be losing consciousness. He groaned and shifted slightly. Elena made a decision instantaneously; she didn't know where Phoenix lived, and she couldn't leave him there. Considering her apartment was only about a two minute walk away, it made sense to take him there. She put her arms underneath his and hoisted him to his feet. He looked directly at her, just like he had done only a few times before, and his piercing aqua gaze gave her chills down her spines. She suddenly felt a sense of longing, although she wasn't sure what it was for.

"C'mon." she said quietly, wrapping her right arm around his back to support him. Phoenix smiled weakly and put his arm around her shoulders.

* * *

It was a long and painful two minutes. Phoenix looked like he wouldn't weigh much, but by the time they got back to Elena's apartment, her back was crippling her. It didn't help that he kept slipping in and out of unconsciousness, so she had to keep stopping to get him to come around again. Finally, she got to her front door, somehow got out her key and unlocked it with one arm free, and dragged Phoenix inside.

"There you go." she used the last of her energy to haul him onto her couch. He seemed to be unconscious.

Elena stretched out her arms, ignoring the painful cracks in her spine. She didn't really know what to do with Phoenix; it had been a long time since she had had to deal with injuries as serious as that. Then she sighed. She was tired, and she was now covered in Phoenix's blood; why did Joey have to make things so hard for her? For some reason, her eyes kept filling up with tears and her heart wrenched; mainly every time she looked at Phoenix. Maybe she was just shocked at what had happened. She walked over to his unconscious form and drew back his shirt again, cringing slightly at the amount of blood. The main thing she needed to do was get rid of the shirt, to make sure the wound was clear at all time. Biting her lip, she lifted Phoenix's shoulders and removed the shirt as carefully as she could. As she took it off, she saw that kept permanently hidden in his clothes, Phoenix's hair was a lot longer than she realized. It went to about half-way down his back, and was tied in a rough pony-tail with a black hair-band, much like Reno's had been. How she hadn't noticed it earlier was beyond her…

Then she realized what she had felt the longing for a little while ago. As she held the long, black pony-tail in her hand, she knew that although Phoenix meant the world to her, all she wanted was Reno.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Another (hopefully) better chapter. I tried hard again on this one, and I know I updated this twice before I updated anything else, but I'm waiting till Wednesday for Lithium **

* * *

**

**Chapter 17**

A loud bang brought Elena back to reality. She jolted around, her eyes wide. She didn't know what the bang was, but nothing seemed any different; maybe it was just a car or something.

She looked down at Phoenix, who was still unconscious. She didn't really know what to do with him now. His hair was still plastered with so much blood it looked almost red instead of black, but she didn't want to move him and risk hurting him anymore. She couldn't help but stare at his face. It seemed somewhat different to that first time she had seen him. He looked paler than usual, and slightly strained. The scar on his face seemed more obvious for some reason, and there were more marks on his face, like an old-ish looking scar on his cheek. She pulled away as his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes flickered open.

"Phoenix?" she said hopefully.

"'Lena…" he groaned.

"Listen, I'm gonna tell Tseng what Joey did." Elena said hurriedly.

"No, don't." Phoenix said suddenly. Although he was hurt, there was something commanding about his voice that made her stop and listen. "It's personal now. I'll deal with it alone."

Elena stopped, her mouth slightly open, tears forming in her eyes again. Phoenix had just reminded her incredibly of someone else…

"_His intentions are obvious of course – he didn't want us to go with him." Tseng said._

"_Yeah, we know that…" Elena said, sounding shocked, "But surely you're not gonna let him do that?"_

"_No… but I hate to say it – we may already be too late." Tseng said grimly._

"_Yeah, but…" Elena said, almost desperately, "Surely it's worth a shot?"_

"_He's gone…" Rihanna said, suddenly managing to pull herself together. "I know it… he went there to sacrifice himself for Yuffie… that's why he didn't tell us, because he knew we wouldn't let him go."_

Reno had worked alone, making sure none of them found out what he was up to until it was too late. It was his battle, and he wanted to go at it alone, it was nothing to do with anyone else… it was happening all over again.

"No." Elena said suddenly. "You can't do it alone."

Phoenix didn't reply, just lay there smiling for some reason. He looked… proud in some way.

"What?" Elena asked.

"I guess it's like Déjà vu for you, eh?" he laughed lightly.

"What do you mean?" Elena said, confused.

"Never mind. I'll accept help this time, but just don't tell Tseng ok? There's no point in makin' trouble." He said smiling. Elena stared at him; how could he be smiling at a time like this?

"Are you alright?" she asked suddenly. She wasn't even sure what had made her ask it, but something didn't seem right. Phoenix's bright aqua-marine eyes were filled with undoubting pity, but why?

"I'm great." He said, closing his eyes again. Elena wasn't sure if her was unconscious or not, but she didn't bother disturbing him.

Elena sighed and stood up, wondering how she always managed to get herself into situations like this. The life of a Turk wasn't a fun one it would seem. She could respect that Phoenix didn't want her to tell Tseng; apart from anything else, it could make things more dangerous for Phoenix. But Elena wouldn't feel right if she kept it to herself. If anything were to happen to him, she would feel it was her fault.

Making an instant decision, she decided the best thing to do would be to tell someone that would keep it to themselves...

* * *

"Thank you." Elena said gratefully opening the door wider so the redhead could enter.

"What's the matter? You look down…" Rihanna said stepping inside.

"Phoenix." Elena said bluntly. "Come take a look."

"Oh my… what happened?" Rihanna said. Her green eyes were wide with worry as she stared at Phoenix's unconscious form.

"Joey." Elena stated simply.

"Joey did this?" Rihanna's voice was slightly higher than usual. "You have-"

"No. I'm not telling Tseng." Elena interrupted, shaking her head.

"Why are you telling me and not Tseng?" Rihanna asked, looking slightly confused.

Elena sighed. Even if she did manage to explain how she was feeling, she didn't really want to. But it wouldn't be long before Rihanna would notice herself surely?

"Never mind." Elena said quietly. "Just promise me you won't tell Tseng?"

"Ok then… I'm sure you have your reasons…" Rihanna said, turning her gaze back to Phoenix. Elena was surprised she hadn't said anything about his hair already. "Umm Elena? I just saw Joey a few minutes ago, I ran into him on the way here…"  
"You did? Did he say anything to you?"

"Nothing…" Rihanna looked blank, and slightly upset.

Elena shook her head for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Things really weren't going how they were supposed to. The only Turk that had come anywhere near replacing Reno was now in danger; serious danger. Anger welled up inside her too; Joey had no right to take things into his own hands like that, no right to try and kill Phoenix off. It was cowardice, and Elena would not rest until Joey got what he deserved. She didn't know what she was going to do, especially as she knew she was no match for Joey without any help, but she had to do something. Something to stop her losing someone else she cared about.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **woo, a ickle cliffie at the end lol. I'm pretty pleased overall with this chapter. I just hate starting them, I never really know what to put. Good news is I already have the start of the next chapter

Enjoy**

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**

**Chapter 18**

Elena opened her eyes and groaned. She had fallen asleep sitting up, and her back was stiff. She looked over at Phoenix, who seemed to be asleep. Standing up, she sighed. She couldn't help but think she was forgetting something really important. Then, her cell phone began to ring loudly, making her jump. Phoenix gave no reaction, which meant either he was actually unconscious, or he was a very heavy sleeper.

"Hello?" she said groggily, entering her kitchen leaving Phoenix alone in the living room.

"Elena, why aren't you at work?" came Tseng's greeting. Elena looked at the clock.

"Oh… I'm so sorry; I must have slept in…" Elena said, shocked at the time.

"Don't worry, and also… have you seen Phoenix?"

Elena's heart seemed to stop; she had realized what she had forgotten. Phoenix had pleaded with her not to tell Tseng what had happened, and although she had agreed, what was she supposed to tell Tseng? He was of course going to get suspicious of why Phoenix had a bullet through his stomach.

"I don't know." Elena said finally. She knew Tseng wouldn't believe her; she knew she was a bad liar, but at that time, that was all she could do.

* * *

"Thank you 'Lena." Phoenix said quietly. Elena walked over to him quickly. Had he heard that whole phone call? 

"Oh, I didn't realize you were awake…" Elena said. "How are you?"

"I'm better…" he said, shifting slightly.

"Good… Tseng wanted me to go into work, but I'm not so sure…"

"Did I ever tell you about my bolt materia?" Phoenix asked suddenly.

"Umm, no…" Elena said, slightly taken aback by the randomness of this question.

"It's not like any other materia; you can control exactly how much energy you put into the spell. So if you're a little pissed at someone, it's great for givin' them a little shock, if ya know what I mean."

"Oh, I see." Elena didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure why Phoenix was telling her this, but she knew there had to be a reason.

"Listen, go to work, and don't worry about me. Tell Tseng you haven't seen me, and I'll sort it out from here."

"Are you sure?" Elena asked. She wasn't sure about leaving Phoenix on his own. Joey would know if he was there on his own, and would probably come back for a second go.

"Yeah, don't worry." Phoenix smiled weakly. "If you don't go then it's only gonna raise more suspicions."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Elena said, although she knew Phoenix could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

* * *

Elena entered her office and put her bag down on the chair. Everything seemed strangely quiet compared to what it usually was. She had seen no one on her way to her office, which was extremely unusual. Then her eye was caught by something glowing in the top of her bag. It was the faint, eerie green glow of materia, but how had it got there? Elena picked it up and held it in her hand, noting how different it looked from any other materia she had seen before. Then she remembered what Phoenix had said to her just a few minutes before. It was his bolt materia. 

_...So if you're a little pissed at someone, it's great for givin' them a little shock, if ya know what I mean."_

He had meant something by that; Elena was sure of it. But what? Then, as though her question was being answered, her office door opened and Tseng walked in, with Joey trailing behind him.

Elena felt her blood boil as she stared at the brown-haired figure in front of her. His black eyes seemed emotionless, not even showing any sort of regret for what he had done to Phoenix. She felt her hand tighten unconsciously around the warm materia in her hand.

"Elena?" Tseng said. "Are you alright?"

"Great." She said quickly through gritted teeth.

"I need to tell you; there is now an issue with Phoenix. Nobody seems to know where he is. Are you sure you're not hiding anything?" Tseng asked.

"Yeah, _I'm _not hiding anything." Elena said, her grip on the materia tightening.

"Hmm…" Tseng could easily tell she was lying, but Elena didn't care. "Anyway, there's a mission for you. Rumour has it that we have, once again, a group of idiotic eco-terrorists. That's who that man was Phoenix killed. I need you to go to Sector 6; that's where there base is supposed to be set up. I have no info for you, because it's more of a 'by word of mouth' thing. I just want you to check it out."

"Ok…" Elena said, nodding her head. "Alone?"

"No, of course not." Tseng said, gesturing behind him. "I want you to take Joey with you."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **omg, curse Bleach for it's addictiveness ( 3 Renji) lol. Anymoo, I'm evil and have left you with a BIG cliffhanger. yay lol

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 19**

Elena felt the materia slip from her fingers as the words left Tseng's mouth. Tseng seemed to be blissfully unaware of the fact that Joey would probably kill Elena given the opportunity.

"Is there a problem?" Tseng asked, staring at the glimmering green ball on the floor. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at it.

"No, not at all sir." Elena said, hastily picking up the materia and putting it back in her pocket. "When do you want us to leave?"

"Now." Tseng said instantly. "You'll be taking charge this time Elena, as there's quite a lot that could go wrong…" At that, he turned and left.

"Let's go." Elena said, not looking Joey in the eyes. She exited the room, and heard Joey follow her, without saying a word.

Before they got out of the building, Elena stopped dead in her tracks. She knew Joey had stopped as well, and she could feel his eyes boring into her. But she didn't care, she had just remembered something.

"_I need you to go to Sector 6; that's where there base is supposed to be set up."_

Sector 6 was a place that Elena had seen enough of. How could Tseng even think about sending her there?

"…_that's where there base is supposed to be set up."_

Base? No, it couldn't be… Tseng wouldn't be that stupid.

"Are we going or what?" Joey said, bringing her out of her panic. Elena sighed; she was going to the worst place she could think of, with the worst person she could think of. If only Phoenix were there, then it wouldn't be quite as bad.

"Yeah…" Elena said quietly.

Everything was exactly the same as it had been on that day. Everything seemed to be darker than usual, and it was cold; very cold. Elena was doing her best to avoid going to the place she least wanted to be, but it was getting more and more difficult to do so.

"Come on." Joey said. "We've been searching all day now, and we've found nothing. The only place that looks even slightly suspicious is that place over there." He pointed towards the run-down building Elena was avoiding. Elena clenched her fists; first Joey was acting so normally, no-one would have suspected he had just tried to kill a man on his side, but now he was trying to tell Elena how to do her job. She didn't know why, but whatever Joey said, it just angered her.

"You idiot." She said suddenly. "Do you not know what that is?"

"It's a building." Joey said, shocked by her outburst.  
"Yes, it's a building. Yes, it's a base; it's a vampire base. It's the place where the man you're supposed to be replacing got killed."

Joey paused, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "That was a while ago now, it could be different…"

"Don't be stupid all your life, save that for the experts." Elena hissed. She knew she shouldn't make Joey angry, but the fury that was building inside her for his ignorance was too much.

Suddenly, that anger was sapped out of her, when Joey lurched forwards and grabbed her by the scruff of the collar, slamming her against the nearest wall.

"The only reason you don't want to go there is because he died there. You know I could be right." Joey snarled. "You're a disgrace for a Turk."

Elena was finding it difficult to breathe, and so she kept her mouth shut. She watched Joey as he pulled something out of his pocket; a knife. Elena gasped; would he really be so cruel?

"Why?" Elena said quietly. She could feel her breath rasping in her chest as Joey put the knife up to her neck. She could feel the cold blade against her delicate skin, and tears filled her eyes; she hadn't been so scared in a long time.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm so stupid, I just realized that in 'Memories and Regrets' I put the vampires base in Sector 5, then in 'Crash and Burn. Baby' I said sector 6 -- oops, oh well; let's just pretend it was always meant to be Sector 6 ; 


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **wow, this took a long time. I'm so slow at updating at the moment. I'm pretty pleased with this chapter, and I would like feedback because I've been practising fighting scenes, and I would like to know if I've improved or not.

Hehe, I know at least one person that will enjoy this chapter.

Enjoy

**

* * *

Chapter 20**

Elena had her eyes tightly closed as she felt the blade press harder and harder against her skin. She could feel him shaking, like he wasn't really sure what he was doing. She stood there, waiting…

Then several things happened at once. She felt the blade being pulled away from her neck sharply, causing it to nick her skin slightly. Her entire body was thrust forwards as Joey, still holding her by the scruff of the neck, was forced to the ground by a powerful kick from a stranger next to them. Elena breathed heavily as Joey's grip hastily loosened, and her airways opened fully.

"You are one crazy son of a bitch." said a very familiar voice. Elena jumped to her feet and turned on the spot. Phoenix was standing, crouched slightly still in position from his kick. He still looked pale, but the livid look in his eyes seemed to overcome any pain he was in.

"What the hell were you thinkin'?" Phoenix grabbed Joey by his collar and pulled him to his feet. "If you were thinkin' anythin' at all…"

"Get the hell off me." Joey hissed.  
Phoenix made a soft growling noise in his throat and pushed Joey back to the floor. Elena stared the brown haired man on the floor, still shocked at what had happened. A large purple bruise was forming on his neck, presumably where Phoenix had kicked him.

"You've crossed the line this time." Phoenix said. He unclipped something from his belt, and Elena heard a click. "Now you get what you deserve."

There was a crackle of electricity and Phoenix launched himself at Joey, with Reno's old EMR in his hand. Elena stepped backwards slowly. She had never seen Phoenix like that, and wouldn't have even though such an innocent looking man could get so angry.

Joey dodged backwards and pulled his sword out of the sheath that had been hanging by his side the whole time. He was a swordsman, so did that mean he had deliberately brought the knife along with him just to kill Elena?

Elena looked ahead in horror. Would Phoenix really have what it took to beat Joey? Sure he was a skilled fighter, but a sword is always sharp, no matter where or how it hits you.

The two weapons clashed together, and Elena heard the crackle of electricity again, telling her that Phoenix had his EMR set to an incredibly high level. Luckily for Joey however, his sword was protected, so the electrical current only travelled as far as the hilt. Phoenix pulled back and tried to aim for Joey's abdomen, but he was surprisingly quick, and managed to block him with his sword. It seemed that despite being a lousy fist fighter, Joey really was skilled in what he did. He obviously had more physical strength, and the only real advantage that Phoenix had was that his body was much thinner, and he was extremely agile.

Elena stared at the two men fighting. Her mind told her that Joey was going to win, his slightly stockier, more muscular frame was putting Phoenix's slightly scrawny frame through its paces. But as Elena stared at Phoenix's face, the smug smirk that touched his lips told her that he had more tricks up his sleeve than met the eye.

"What the hell are you looking so pleased about?" Joey spat. The livid look in his eyes frightened Elena, but Phoenix looked slightly unnerved by it.

"Nothin' like a daily sparring session." Phoenix said, his grin growing. Elena could see the muscle in Joey's jaw twitch.

"You're an idiot." He said spitefully to the black-haired youth. "Can't you see this isn't a game? It's for real now… you need to start looking at things realistically."

"On the contrary…" Phoenix grinned even more. "This is nothing more than a game… a stupid rivalry completely irrelevant to the big picture. You sure you don't wanna take that back?"

"Big talk coming from a twig." Joey scowled. "If only you knew how relevant this really was to the big picture…"

Phoenix's grin faded to a dull smirk and he collapsed his EMR. "Go on then." He said casually as though he were talking to his best friend, and not someone who was trying to kill him. "Enlighten me."

Joey flushed slightly and stammered as though he had said something he wasn't meant to say.

"If you're talkin' about who you're with… then I know." Phoenix smiled at him.

"How…?" Joey looked flustered for a second, and then he steadied his sword and made a swift move for Phoenix. Elena nearly screamed out loud; Phoenix had collapsed his EMR and he was completely defenceless. But then with agility Elena had never seen before, he flicked his EMR out and used it to stop Joey from hitting him.

"You won't win." Pheonix grinned again. He pulled out a gun and casually took off the safety catch. "Sure you won't take it back?"

Joey looked half livid; half surprised, but didn't say anything.

"I see." Phoenix aimed the gun at Joey's head, and Elena's heart began to race. Would he really do it? Her question was quickly answered when his long index finger tightened around the trigger. A loud bang sounded and Joey fell to the floor while the sound of gunshot echoed around the otherwise empty neighbourhood.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: **You gotta love musical inspiration. Go listen to Utada Hikaru – Final Distance. It has to be the saddest song I've ever heard, especially the story behind it. Yeah I'm random.

Anymoo, another ultra-happy chapter for you all to enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 21**

"You killed him…" Elena said, slightly breathlessly.

She couldn't believe what she had just seen. Two Turks had been killed in two months… and both by vampires. She had been having an argument with herself since the day she saw the vampire named Phoenix whether he really was a vampire or not. But right now, a lot of evidence was pointing to yes.

She had known right from the start that getting friendly with Phoenix was just running straight into the fire. She knew the only reason she had been so desperate to get involved with him was because he reminded her so intensely of Reno. Of course that really wasn't such a good thing, because now she was completely heart-broken all over again.

She was so confused. She knew if Reno had been there, he would have killed Joey just like Phoenix had. But she couldn't help but feel furiously upset at what Phoenix had just done.

"'Lena? C'mon." Phoenix said. He made to grab her hand but she pulled away.

"Leave me alone." She cried. She didn't know why she was so upset, but she quickly began to break down in tears.

Phoenix didn't say anything, but he slowly put his arm around Elena. She gave in and leaned into him, still sobbing uncontrollably. She hated him, yet his touch was making her melt on the spot.

All the while, Phoenix said nothing. He was motionless as he held Elena. Slowly, her crying eased, and she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry 'Lena." He removed his arm and began to walk off. Elena opened her mouth to say something but stayed silent, ignoring the sudden overwhelming urge to call him back.

Tearing her eyes away from Phoenix's disappearing form, she looked down at Joey. His black eyes, usually filled with some sort of fury, were emotionless, and starting up at the sky. There was a trickle of blood coming from his mouth, and his chest where the bullet wound was. She could still see the large purple bruise on the right hand side of his neck. Then she began to wonder…

She looked from Joey's neck to her surrounding on the right. If the bruise was there, then Phoenix must have come from the right. What was he doing there in the first place? As she looked around, she remembered; the base for the vampires was about 500 yards away to the right.

"No…" she muttered, laying Joey's head back down on the floor. "It can't be…"

She pulled out her cell phone and dialled Tseng's number.

"Hello?"

"Sir… I think you should come here." Elena said. She was annoying to find her voice was shaking.  
"Elena, what's the matter?" Tseng asked concernedly.

"Just come please. I need your help."

* * *

As usual, it didn't take Tseng long to sort things out. Joey's body was taken, but where it was taken Elena didn't much care. There was only one question in her mind.

"What's going to happen to Phoenix?" Elena asked Tseng as she sat opposite his desk in his office.

"Nothing." Tseng replied simply. "For a start, I said that if lives are at risk, assassination of a fellow Turk is acceptable. And I had my own suspicions about Joey."

"But…" Elena started. She wanted to tell him what she knew about Phoenix, but she didn't quite know how to word it.

"I know you have your suspicions of Phoenix as well. In fact…" Tseng sighed and rolled his eyes for some reason. "Yuffie came to see a couple of weeks ago."

"She told you? Then why didn't you do anything about it?" Elena asked. She remembered what she had been thinking that day, and what she had expected Tseng to do.

"Because I wanted to see what would happen. Phoenix is a very interesting, yet suspicious character. I don't think he is any real threat to anyone."

"He just killed Joey." Elena said, slightly shocked at how Tseng was taking it.

"And saved your life while doing so." Tseng smiled knowingly. "Did you ever think of that?"


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: **Another long chapter. Well, not as long as the last Lithium update, but still longer than usual. Well, enjoy.**

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**Chapter 22 **

Elena knew Tseng had been right, but she couldn't shake the anger she was feeling towards Phoenix. However, amongst all the fury, there was part of her mind telling her to be worried about him. He hadn't turned up for work that day, and the annoying thing was, Tseng didn't seem particularly concerned by it.

"He'll turn up eventually." He had told her.

"What if he's done something stupid?" Elena said angrily, not that he hadn't done his share of stupid things already.

"Give the man some credit, Elena. He can take care of himself."

* * *

Elena put down her pen and looked at her watch. It was already nearly 5, and she knew she should be heading home. She stood up and grabbed her back, exiting and locking her office door behind her.

"Are you going?" said a timid voice as she stepped away from her door. Elena turned to see a young girl standing nearby, her blonde hair tied up out of her eyes and her grey eyes shining with some sort of fear.

"Ruby?" Elena said, walking closer to her. "Are you okay?" She hadn't seen any of the other new recruitments for a while; she guessed Tseng had probably kept them busy.

"Where is Phoenix?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know." Elena sighed. "I haven't seen him today."

"Oh… what's going to happen to him?" she asked.

"You know all about that huh? Nothing's going to happen to him. He did it in defence." Elena said. She wasn't quite sure why, but she felt the need to protect Phoenix from accusations. Maybe her fury at him was dying.

"He's not…" Ruby seemed to stumble around these words, as though searching for the right way to say it. She inhaled deeply and looked Elena straight in the eyes. "He's not… crazy, is he?"

"Wha-?" Elena frowned. Now that she mentioned it, Phoenix was a little eccentric, but maybe 'crazy' was taking it a little too far. "I don't think so, Ruby. Don't worry; he won't turn on anyone else or anything."

"Ok… if you're sure." Ruby sighed. "It's just; he scares me. Since that first day he came in when Tseng was talking to us. He frightens me, even though I always know he wouldn't hurt me."

"Yeah… I guess I can understand that…" Elena said breathlessly. She remembered feeling that exact way herself…

"_Whoa…" the redhead said sharply, his aqua eyes narrowing. For someone who was supposed to be escorting her to her first interview at Shinra Inc. he was certainly jumpy. _

"_What?" Elena asked nervously, eyeing the tall man suspiciously. With one sharp movement of his wrist, he pulled out a stun baton – he had said what it was called… an EMR? – and smacked the waste bins next to them away. _

"_Wha-?" Elena cried. Her heart leapt to her throat. She had a sudden realization that she had no idea who this man was, and he could probably quite easily tear her apart. She watched him, frightened as he jabbed around in the shadows a bit. _

_Suddenly Elena heard a sickening crackle of electricity, and Reno's thin lips formed a satisfied grin. He put his hand on and grabbed whatever it was he had just stunned._

"_Heh, what do ya know?" Reno grinned, holding up a ginger cat. It was alive, but it had a drowsy look to it, and gazed at Reno with a strange glint in its eyes. "A cat. Go figure."_

"_W-would it be a strange question i-if I asked you why y-you did that?" Elena asked nervously._

"_I'm a Turk sweetheart." The red-head said cockily, tapping his head. "Got people all across the planet that want me dead, you can never be too careful."_

Elena still remembered that day clear as anything. Since then she had never bothered to question Reno's irrational behaviour, despite the fact that sometimes it scared her. Could it be that Phoenix was the same as Reno in that way as well? Elena shook her head unconsciously.

"Elena? Are you ok?" Ruby asked her, bringing her out of her thoughtful stupor.

"Yeah, sorry. Just thinking about something…" Elena said absently. "Anyway Ruby, don't worry about Phoenix. He's fine… the whole thing was one-off."

"Yeah… okay." She still sounded unsure but she smiled anyway. "Well, I'm gonna go home now. Night."

"See you tomorrow." Elena said. She began to make her way out of the building and went home.

* * *

Elena sat, still thinking about the memory that had returned to her earlier. She tried to read, but gave up. She tried to watch television, but she couldn't concentrate on anything. Then, just as she was about to give up and go to bed, there was a loud knock on the door. Elena rolled her eyes and went to answer it.

"Elena." came her reply. She stared at the black-haired figure standing in front of her.

"Phoenix…?" Elena replied breathlessly. She felt a sudden rush of elation, but then a whole new wave of concern. Her fury at him had completely melted away.

The man standing in front of her was not the same as the one who had killed Joey. His black spiky hair was matted with blood again, but Elena could see no obvious wounds. He was several shaded paler than usual, and he had a strange, glazed look about his eyes.

"Phoenix? Are you okay?" she asked him concernedly. All of a sudden, the man fell forwards, Elena catching him just in time. She sighed and ran her hand through his hair, unconsciously trying to get rid of the tangles. His pony-tail was pushed forwards, and not hidden in his shirt like it usually was. He was showing no signs of wanted to move, so Elena put his arm around her neck and hoisted him over her shoulder, taking him to her couch.

"Ahh… sorry." Phoenix muttered, his eyes flickering open.

"Where have you been?" Elena asked. He had been missing a whole day; something had happened, Elena knew it.

"I… I don't know." He said. He sat upright, and suddenly looked frightened. "'Laney, you have to help me. They won't leave me alone." At this he grabbed the front of Elena's shirt and pulled her closer. Elena's heart began to beat faster; she could feel Phoenix's warm, uneven breath on her face. Then, without warning, he let her go and slumped slowly back into the back of the couch, his eyes dropping closed again.

* * *

**A/N: **XD I can't go too long without having Reno in the story somehow. Yay for flashbacks lol 

And today is the day where Phoenix finally goes insane... lol sorry, I'm random


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: **Okay, I was in two minds about whether to put this up or not... but I decided to do it anyway. It might seem a little... strange, but it will probably make a lot more sense eventually.**

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**

**Chapter 23**

Elena watched Phoenix warily. He hadn't moved, or opened his eyes for at least 3 hours, and she was starting to get worried about him. The main thing that was on her mind was where he had actually been. He had stared at her, his wide aquamarine eyes filled with psychosis, as he clutched at her shirt. Then he had simply passed out. What could this mean?

Suddenly, she heard a low moan and Phoenix's eyes flickered open. The usual bright aqua of his irises was dull, and he looked drowsy. Before he said anything, for some reason he looked at the backs of his hands.

"Phoenix?" Elena said worriedly. The black-haired man looked up at her and smiled.

"Oh, hey." He said, putting his hands back down. Elena looked at them and could see some sort of mark there.

"What's this?" she said, lifting his hand up. It was pale, and surprisingly smooth. The fingernails on the end of his long, bony fingers were bitten, and across the back of his palm, there were several large scars. "How did you do this?" she asked, running her finger over the scar.

"I don't know." Phoenix said, shrugging. "I've had them as long as I can remember." He showed her the other hand, which had similar scars on it.

"Do you remember what happened before you passed out?" Elena asked, putting his hand down. Phoenix's eyes suddenly became brighter, and he narrowed them, as though he were thinking hard about something.

"No." he said finally.

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing."

Elena paused, thinking. She had expected him not to remember, but she was desperate to know what was going on. She and Rihanna had said they were going to find out more about Phoenix, but so far they had been pretty much unsuccessful. Elena had no idea how to even go about finding out any information about Phoenix, without directly asking him. So directly ask him she would…

"Phoenix?" she thought of the first thing she had wondered about Phoenix. "You're hair isn't naturally black is it?"

"Huh?" Phoenix looked shocked by this question and his eyes narrowed again. "Yeah it is. Why?"

"No reason…" Elena said. Perhaps that wasn't the best way to go about it. Of course, if he was trying to hide something, he wasn't just going to tell her straight off. She sighed and looked at Phoenix. Once again, he wasn't looking her directly in the eyes, but slightly above her head. He seemed to have turned a couple of shades paler since he woke up.

"What's up?" Elena asked him. He looked worried about something.

"Nothing." He said quickly.

Elena looked at him and then remembered something. She moved forwards and began unbuttoning Phoenix's shirt, ignoring his curious glances.

"It's… gone." Elena said, shocked. The bullet wound that Joey had given him was completely gone. There was only a mark there, a scar where it had been. Sure, it looked like it had only recently healed over, but it had only been a couple of days since he had been shot. It was impossible for something to heal that fast.

"What?" Phoenix enquired, looking slightly nervously at Elena.

"I thought you said you only had bolt materia?" Elena asked him.

"I do…"

"You've got no cure materia?"

"No…" Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "What-?"

"How has this healed this quickly?" Elena demanded.

"I dunno… maybe I heal fast?" Phoenix suggested.

Elena put her hand on the wound and felt Phoenix shudder under her cold fingers. For the second time, Elena noticed the other scars on his stomach. They were clean cut, and obviously done on purpose. But how and when? Elena desperately wanted to know, but she knew that Phoenix wouldn't have an answer for her. Suddenly for some reason, tears began to sting her eyes in her desperation for knowledge. She jumped slightly as she felt a cold hand on her face.

"What's the matter, Laney?" he asked her, his eyes wide some sort of pity.

Elena leant into his bare chest, still not quite crying, but the tears staining her face. Phoenix held her for a minute, and then he pulled back and smiled at her. As the seconds passed, Elena heart beat faster and faster. He was much too close now; she could feel his warm breath on her face, but not like last time. This time he was smirking, his eyes looked heavy…

Elena closed her eyes and let everything happen. Phoenix kissed her, passionately, warmly. Even though it only lasted a couple of minutes, it felt like a lifetime. She felt elated.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: **Kinda short chapter, but yeah... I'm busy tryin' do some work at the mo, as _some _people now about XD I just thought I'd try get a little chapter out for you guys

Oh umm, I dunno why, but this chapter is kinda... weird. I'm bein' all spiritual... or ridiculously cheesy to put it properly.

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 24**

Elena awoke, opening her eyes slowly. It took her a few minutes to be conscious of where she actually was. Then she looked to her right, and saw Phoenix lying next to her, still asleep. She gasped slightly as memories of last night returned to her.

"Don't worry about it." Phoenix said, a smirk forming on his face, even though his eyes were still closed. "You fell asleep, I brought you to bed and stayed to make sure you were alright."

Elena relaxed a little. "For a minute, I thought…"

"No. Don't worry." Phoenix opened his eyes and sat up next to Elena. The blonde looked at the slightly amused look on the man's face, and began to feel strange inside. Instead of feeling bad for letting him kiss her, she felt perfectly fine, and now she was settled down, she didn't think anything else would have bothered her either.

"Well, shall we get going then?" Phoenix asked her, standing up.

"Yeah, let me get changed first… do you-?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Phoenix said quickly, looking quickly from Elena to the door. "In fact, I'll get goin' now. I'll see ya in a minute."

* * *

The moment Elena stepped out of her door, she knew something was off. She just couldn't place what it was. Then, as she was walking, she felt a hand over her mouth.

"Stay still." The person said quietly in her ear. Her heart slowed again and she relaxed as she recognized the voice.

She struggled and soon got free, being the stronger of the two. "What are you doing, Yuffie?" she said, slightly irritated.

"I want to talk to you." Yuffie said. There was that rare look of seriousness in her brown eyes.

"Okay." Elena said, folding her arms. "I'm gonna be late, but I'm listening."

"I heard about Pheonix." The brunette said. For once, she stared directly into Elena's eyes, and didn't look away while she was talking to her. "He murdered Joey."

"You know what…" Elena said, for some reason she found herself angry. "I've already explained this enough now, so I'm not doing it again. Why don't you like Phoenix, Yuffie?"

"What?" Yuffie suddenly looked shocked. "I never said that…"

"You do though. You're determined to get him either fired, or killed. Why?" It was Elena's turn to be deadly serious.

"He's a vampire." Yuffie said quietly, fiddling with her nails.

"He's not." Elena said bluntly. "You know, I though you and Phoenix would get on so well."

"Why?" Yuffie replied sceptically.

"Let me ask you this? Did you love Reno?"

Yuffie didn't reply instantly, but what shocked Elena was that the ninja's eyes didn't fill with sadness of any kind. They were angry.

"Of course I did." She said quietly.

"You love him now?"

"He's dead." Yuffie cried. "I can't love someone who's dead."

"I see… so you can't see the same qualities in Phoenix as you could in Reno?"

"No… I hate Phoenix. I hate what he's done to you as well." Yuffie stopped there and left Elena alone, lost in thought.

So that was what Yuffie thought; that love was only something seen in solid, physical form. Did she not believe in spirit? In soul? Maybe she and Reno didn't belong together anyway. In life or death…

"Elena?" the blonde turned to see Phoenix standing next to her. Slightly shocked, she smiled.

"Hey." She said.

"I heard that." Phoenix said, an undecipherable emotion in his eyes. "Why did you say it?"

"What?" Elena said, furrowing her brow.

"Never mind." The black-haired man smiled again. "Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: **whoops, LOL I forgot about Yuffie until someone reviewed and mentioned her... meh well, she'll come into it properly when she needs to... which was this chapter, so yeah. : S Ignore me... my A/N's get weirder everytime 


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: **Sorry for the wait, I've been busy with school projects. This is a completely pointless chapter, basically a 500 word long description of Elena's feelings, but hey, nevermind. I was listening to a few good songs that inspires this chapter, so I put some of the lyrics in the chapter.

**I don't own the songs Linkin Park - Leave out all the Rest, or Blink 182 - All of This.**

Enjoy

**

* * *

****Chapter 25**

_When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done. Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed._

_Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty, keep me in your memory. _

_Leave out all the rest._

The young blonde woman paused, chewing on her pen. She was supposed to be working, but she couldn't concentrate. She was starting to wonder if there hadn't been truth in some of Yuffie's logic.

Perhaps Elena wasn't looking at the big picture. Maybe she had been too wrapped up in her own grief over losing Reno… that desperate to find something else to cling on to; had she completely lost grip on reality? Was Phoenix that much like Reno, or was she slowly but steadily forgetting what the red-head she had known was really like?

Somehow it upset her that she was thinking this. She had felt completely in control of her emotions, up until now. Yuffie had made her unstable in her thinking, and she needed to resolve it. She just didn't know how to.

Deep inside her mind, she knew there was some truth in her own logic. That first day she had seen Phoenix, she had made eye contact with him, not knowing that he would rarely see that again. But at that moment, her heart had leapt, and Reno was the first thing that sprang to her mind. She definitely had her grip on reality then. So what was different now?

Had she perhaps continued with her strong grip on reality through the whole time? Maybe she was just looking at it from the wrong angle… she was looking for the points about Phoenix that reminded her of Reno, to attempt to fill that gap.

"That's it…" Elena said to herself, putting her head down to attempt to carry on working. She would just have to get to know Phoenix… not Reno. Then she remembered…

"_Phoenix? You're hair isn't naturally black is it?"_

How could she have been so stupid? That was a prime example to prove her theory. She had been looking for things about Phoenix to compare with Reno. But then there was the conversation she had had with Rihanna a while ago… about taking things into their own hands. What if she lost a chance to get Reno back? But then again, what were the odds of that happening?

_With all of this I know now_

_Everything inside of my head_

_It all just goes to show_

_Nothing changes me at all._

_Again I wait for this to change instead_

_To tear the world in two_

_Another night with him_

_But I'm always wanting you._

It was no good, she was chasing these thoughts around in circles, and she was getting nowhere. There were three things she could do; she could talk directly to Phoenix about it; she could talk to someone else about it; or, she could keep it to herself, and carry on the way she had been doing.

Ultimately, the third one would be best, and easiest. But she would either have to find out what Phoenix's real deal was, or just get used to the fact that he wasn't Reno, and she would never get him back.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: **:'( My poor, poor fingers I was on a role, and this chapter just happened. I'm really pleased with it, and I figured that 26 chapters in, I probably ought to get a move on with the main plot. So this is a real vital chapter. AND as I haven't had a really good cliffhanger for a while, I put one in for you XD

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 26**

While she was working, Elena realized something. That short time ago, when she had been mad at Phoenix for no reason, she finally realized why.

She had been thinking about Reno, thinking about how he used to act. He was a very idiosyncratic character, and no one should be able to take that away from him. There wasn't another person on the Planet that was anything like Reno… until Phoenix showed up. Was her anger at Phoenix nothing to do with Joey's murder? Was it perhaps more to do with the theft of Reno's identity.

"S'up 'Laney?"

Elena's heart leapt. She had heard that simple, mispronounced phrase a lot of times in her life. For a moment, she treasured those words without even looking up, her mind was telling her to stop being stupid, and to look up. But her heart was telling her differently; that Reno was right here in the room with her. The argument inside herself was getting too much to take.

"What do you want?" She said finally, looking up at Phoenix. She slapped herself mentally. She hadn't meant it to sound so harsh.

"What?" The black-haired man came in, sitting on the edge of Elena's desk.

"What _do _you want?" she repeated, gathering her thoughts together.

"I've been thinking." Elena said. She decided to get it out now before she changed her mind. "There's something about you. Why do you remind me so much of Reno?"

"Reno?" Phoenix paused, looking thoughtful. "Coincidence?"

"No. It's not a coincidence." Elena said commandingly. She was shocked at herself; talking so rudely to him. She had never spoken this confidently to anyone before. "I get the feeling that you know more than you're letting on."

"Know more?" Phoenix's eyes narrowed. "Sorry 'Laney. I dunno what you're talkin' about."

Elena didn't know how well Phoenix could lie, so she still didn't want to take his word for it. But he was looking nervous now, he was cracking. If Elena didn't say this now, she would break first.

"Look. I believe in coincidences. But this is just too much to be true. You talk like him, you act like him… you look like him." Elena said quickly. She felt her throat begin to ache and her eyes were stinging.

"C'mon, Elena." Phoenix tried to reason to with her. "I mean... I wouldn't lie to you, would I?"

"Not purposely." Elena said, re-thinking her approach. "I worry about you."

"What?" Phoenix said. His expression was that of someone truly lost.

"I don't think you… think right. You know what I mean?"

"You think _I'm _insane?" Phoenix laughed lightly. It wasn't spiteful, so Elena smiled herself. It was amazing how a simple change in the pitch of a laugh could make all the difference.

The black haired man stopped laughing, and looked at Elena. She hadn't realized she had been staring at him. He bit his lip, and started looking slightly nervous again, his vivid eyes staring directly into the Elena's.

Elena melted on the spot. She gave up… he had won. Such a surreally smart person to have won an argument without saying a word. There was just something about his aqua gaze that made her spine tingle.  
She leant forwards, so close she could once again feel his warm breath on her cheek. His breathing had steadied and she could have sworn she heard him snigger slightly. But she didn't care. She closed her eyes as Phoenix leant into her, his lips brushing hers. She tilted her head slightly and Phoenix leant in further. She felt his slender arm snake around her waist, and he pulled her closer, so he was supporting her whole weight. He kissed her more passionately, and his hands made her way up to her head, his long fingers combing through the blonde hair. Her whole body shivered and he pulled her even closer. She smiled as Phoenix was kissing her; she hadn't felt this safe for a long time.

As Phoenix hand moved down to her hips, she mover her own up to his porcelain face. She put her petit hand on his cheek, stroking the cheekbone with her thumb. At this moment, she opened her eyes slightly, and there was no mistaking the vivid red that was now next to her thumb.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: **Another useful chapter I hope D Not really much to say about it, except the flashback is from early on in the story, chapter 4 I believe, so I hope you can remember it.

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 27**

Elena pulled away sharply, her thumb still on Phoenix's cheek. She could definitely see that red mark…

"Wha…?" She stuttered, not quite sure what to say. Phoenix looked slightly shocked for a minute, but then smirked, and put his own hand on top of Elena's.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"R-Reno?" She said, her eyes filling with tears. Phoenix looked down, pulling his gaze away from her.

"You're thinking too much." He said, pulling her hand away from his face. Elena pulled her wrist free and put her other hand up to the opposite side of his face and rubbed her thumb down it, revealing a second red mark, exactly symmetrical to the first. Her hand was still on his face, and she looked down at the floor.

"Yeah?" She said shakily.

"Everyone has their scars." He said. His eyes were emotionless, and he stepped backwards from Elena. Once again, he stared her directly in the eyes, and his empty gaze made her feel somehow ashamed of herself.

"Phoenix… I-" Elena wanted desperately to finish, but she had no idea what to say. Phoenix looked down sadly, moving raising his arm and moving Elena's hand off his face. The blonde let her arm fall limply by her side, and she watched as Phoenix sighed, and then slowly left the room.

Elena stood, although she wasn't quite sure how long for, staring at the place where Phoenix had just been standing. It felt like hours, even though she knew it wasn't. Her whole body ached, including her heart, and for some reason, every little pain she had had before, emotional or physical, were hugely magnified.

A loud bang made her jump. Not really caring what it was, Elena tried to pull herself together and sat back down at her desk. There was still paperwork to do, as always, but she couldn't really bring herself to do it. Her mind was too preoccupied.

"Elena?" the blonde looked up sharply. She hadn't even noticed her office door open again.

"Oh, hello, sir." Elena said, looking at the raven haired man before her. Tseng looked just as preoccupied as Elena felt. "What's the matter?"

"Have you spoken to Phoenix lately?" He asked, biting his lip.

"Umm… yeah, we… talked a little while ago. He left though." Elena said awkwardly. Something told her to keep her relations with Phoenix quiet.

"Rude just came to me." Tseng said, still keeping his serious tone. "He said he saw Phoenix rushing to get out of here, and went after him. Phoenix lashed out at Rude apparently, and he left. No one knows where he is, or why he's gone."

"Lashed out? Is Rude okay?" Elena asked concernedly.

"Yeah, he's got a bruised eye though. Phoenix is obviously stronger than he looks." Tseng looked distractedly out of the window as Elena's mind was brought to what had brought her back down to earth a minute ago.

"I thought I heard a door slam." The blonde said distantly.

"Elena, are you okay?" Tseng asked, his voice slightly louder, but slightly softer at the same time.

"Yeah." Elena said, gathering her thoughts and trying to make herself sound at least slightly with it. "I was just thinking…"

There was something on Elena's mind. Something that had happened not that long ago, but it felt like a lifetime…

"_Could you go to Rufus' office, and let him know I'm training up one of the Turks to use an EMR, and tell him it's Phoenix. He may be interested to know."_

"_Ok." Elena said, she left the room, but just as she left she heard a loud bang. Turning around, she saw Phoenix storming out of the doctor's office, with a very nervous looking Dr Evelyn behind him._

"_Tseng, sir? I think there's something you might find interesting…" Doctor Evelyn held out the clipboard for Tseng to read._

"Sir?" Elena said, coming back down to reality. "You remember the day of the physicals?"

"Yes…" Tseng said, obtaining a rare, awkward look in his eyes.

"What did Doctor Evelyn say to you?" Elena asked. She figured since she had started being so direct with Phoenix, she might as well make the most of her sudden burst of confidence.

"She showed me Phoenix's results. His height, weight, and everything."

"And?"

"His height was 5'10, and his weight was 169… she found it interesting because that was the exact results that Reno's last physical showed."

"Anything else?"

"He had a lot of scars." Tseng said simply, and his blood test showed a small amount of mako present."

"Oh, I see." Elena paused for a minute. Every piece of evidence she gathered was pointing in the same direction. "What do you think?"

"I don't know." Tseng shook his head. "He shows an uncanny resemblance to Reno in many ways. But I think it probably is coincidence. I don't see how it's possible for there to be any connection."

"I thought you'd say that." Elena said sadly. "Well… I guess me and Rihanna are the only one's that agree on this then."

"I'm sorry Elena." Tseng said sincerely. "But you and Rihanna both miss Reno a great deal. Maybe you just miss him too much…"

"I don't think that's the problem." Elena said coldly, remembering the red marks she had just discovered. Somehow, she figured that even if she told Tseng about them, the first word out of his mouth would be 'coincidence', because he, like many other people, would not believe anything that wasn't in their plain sight.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: **Just in case you don't realize, this chapter is very important, as is the next one. You won't be able to work anything out yet though, so don't get your hopes up.

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 28**

… _A mythical bird of great beauty fabled to live 500 or 600 years in the Arabian wilderness, to burn itself on a funeral pyre, and to rise from its ashes in the freshness of youth and live through another cycle of years: often an emblem of immortality or of reborn idealism or hope…_

Things in Elena's mind were starting to get on top of her. She had been building her hopes up for a while now that somehow Reno might come back, but now her elated bubble had burst.

After talking to both Phoenix and Tseng, Elena suddenly realized how stupid her theory was, but was she really ready to give up hope?

Making up her mind, Elena exited her office door and locked it. She wasn't sure yet because she needed sleep, but she was starting to think that maybe she would be better of not pursuing her dream of Reno returning, and leaving Phoenix alone.

"Hey, 'Lena."

Not for the first time, Elena's heart leapt. That voice was too much for her, and tore right at her heart. She turned on the spot and saw that pale skin, those bold tattoos and turquoise eyes… but black hair. Everything was perfect now except that.

"I'm sorry." He said, extremely quickly. "Where's Rude?"

"I … I think he's already gone." Elena said with her eyes wide.

"Oh right…" Phoenix looked almost pitiful. "I decided to leave them as they were now." He said, putting a finger to the tattoo on his right cheekbone.

"Oh I see…" Elena sighed and decided; now was the time to come clean. "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened as well…"

"It's alright." Phoenix interrupted her. The two of them made to exit the building. "I understand why you're doing it." He held the door open for Elena.

"I just … miss Reno so much." Elena felt her voice crack but she kept talking. "I'm just trying my best to put myself back together…"

"When all you're doin' is pulling yourself further apart." Phoenix muttered. "Listen 'Lena, I think it's time I was truthful with you…"

Elena nodded her head distantly while she walked. She heard hers and Phoenix's footsteps echo on the solid pavement below them. It was almost dark, but the dusky light around them from the streetlights and the only just set sun created an eerie effect.

"Let's go back to my house." She said kindly. "We'll talk more there."

Phoenix nodded and the two of them walked in silence. For some reason, Elena felt elated inside. She felt at peace with the world for the first time since Reno had gone, and she wasn't really sure why. Maybe it was the relief of knowing that Phoenix didn't blame her, and he finally understood what she was going through. And now… he was going to be truthful to her.

Neither of them said a word on the way to Elena's house. Once or twice, the blonde snatched a glance at Phoenix, and was happy to find the expression on his face was not one of sadness… but the again, it didn't look to be happiness either.

* * *

"I feel bad." Phoenix said, sitting down on Elena's couch. "I've lied to you."

"Lied? What about?" The blonde replied. She didn't want to get her hopes up that Phoenix would tell her what she wanted to hear, but she couldn't help it.

"… these marks on my face… I haven't got a clue how they got there. A lot of things have built up in my mind, and now I'm not sure which is reality."

"How do you mean?"

"The memories in my head… they don't fit." Phoenix looked sadly at his own hands. "I can remember my mother… but I can remember other people as well."

"Your mother was Vanessa right?" Elena asked. "But you're not a vampire."

"I know. That's why it doesn't fit." Orbs of aquamarine were fixed on Elena's face. "Something tells me that Vanessa was my mother, but I can't remember anything else about it, except she's dead."

"Do you know who killed her?" Elena said. The though suddenly popped into her head, and she wondered why Phoenix wasn't angry at the Turks, unless he didn't know who killed her.

"Him…" Phoenix shook his head. "He killed her."  
"Reno…"

"Rihanna… when I first saw her… I felt something." Phoenix said suddenly. "I don't know what it was though."

Something in Elena's mind suddenly clicked. She hadn't actually seen Rihanna for a while. "She's been avoiding us."


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: **Seems like forever since I updated. Stupid French Oral Exam 

Anymoo, I finally got the plot going, since it's moving so slowly, and I'm starting to get a bit conscious that this is getting too long now.

Enjoy**

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**Chapter 29**

"Avoiding us?" Phoenix looked shocked. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know." Elena said quietly. Then that made her think back to Reno. She knew that when something was bothering him, he usually ignored it or ran away from it. Her guess was that Rihanna would act in a similar way. But could it be that Phoenix was bothering her that much that she had to avoid him altogether.

Elena looked at the black-haired man in front of her. He seemed to be staring at her in a slightly bemused fashion, as though he knew what she was thinking. Elena shook her head; some things were better left unsaid.

"I need to speak to her." Elena said suddenly.

"Why?" Phoenix demanded.  
"I need to know where she stands in all of this…" Elena shook her head again. "I know what she's like… and if she does anything stupid…"

"I don't think she would." Phoenix said quickly. Elena looked at him and his eyes swiftly looked down.

"If you think so…" Elena didn't know why, but she found herself trusting his judgement.

"Besides…" he carried on, but still not looking at Elena. "Do you really want to get her involved?"

"It would tear her apart…" Elena sighed.  
"Right." Phoenix looked suddenly relieved. "I think that whatever happens, we should keep it between us."

"Okay…" Elena agreed with him, but she wasn't quite sure why. There was definitely something suspicious about the way he was acting, like he wanted desperately to keep the whole thing a secret. "Phoenix?"

"Hmm?"

"Who were the other people you can remember?"

"Huh?" Confusion glinted in his eyes.

"You said you could remember people other than your mother." Elena demanded.

"Yeah… I can remember the slums… and a man and a woman… and a little girl…" Elena almost felt like crying. There was a desperate look of longing and confusion in Phoenix's eyes that made her feel immensely sorry for him. It reminded Elena of that day, long ago… when she had first seen Reno with the photograph of him and Rihanna. He had thought she was dead that day, and Elena felt for him. She really did. Then it clicked in her head; all Reno had needed that day was support, and now Rihanna was in the same position as he had been. Was it right that Elena wasn't attempting to talk to Rihanna through this difficult time? The last thing she needed right now was to be abandoned.

"Who were they?" Elena asked timidly.

"I called them… mom and dad… and Rihanna." Phoenix shook his head and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Reno's family…?" Elena said, a bemused expression on her face. "So then I must have been right."

"I don't think so." Phoenix said, somewhat sadly. "I think there's a reason behind it. I want to know the truth though."

"I thought…" Elena looked down sadly. "I thought you didn't want to know."

"I've been thinking a lot lately… about you." For the first time in a long time, Phoenix looked at Elena directly and smiled. Just a smile. "This is obviously getting to you, and I can't stand to see you like this."

Elena smiled back at him. It looked like things were finally starting to look up. She may not have anyone else on her side, but Phoenix was the most important person right now. It might have sounded selfish to say that, but all Elena was effectively doing was trying to protect Rihanna. She didn't want to get her involved, and she had a feeling that getting Yuffie involved was a bad idea as well. The young ninja had been angry at Elena before; she didn't believe that Phoenix and Reno were connected in any way. But maybe it was just because she hadn't spent enough time with him…

Elena sighed; arguing with herself inside her own head wasn't getting her anywhere.

"What are we gonna do?" Phoenix asked her suddenly.

Elena stayed silent in thought for a moment. Then…

"The only thing we can do is retrace our steps." Elena said, shocked that her voice was shaking. "We can see where things lead from there."

"You mean-?"

"Go back to where Reno died. Back to Sector 6."


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: **Sorry updatings been a bit slow lately...

enjoy**

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**Chapter 30**

"You can't go back."

Neither Elena nor Phoenix had noticed the door opening. Neither of them had noticed the pair of green eyes that were watching them intently, or the shock of red hair.

"Rihanna?" Elena said, completely shocked.

The redhead entered the office completely, and Elena stared at her. It was strange; she'd never really noticed how similar this girl was to Reno. She was tall, not quite as tall as Reno had been, and slightly lanky. She had a thin face with angular features and her eyes were narrow and always slightly evil looking. For some reason, she had had her hair cut. It had to have been recently because Elena hadn't seen it like that before. Whereas before is was long and even, it was now shoulder length, with layers, and the bangs fell over her eyes. The only thing she noticed was that the usual glint that was in her eyes was gone; replaced by a dull empty look.

Elena watched as Rihanna stared at Phoenix's face, presumably looking at his tattoos.

The girl walked up to the black-haired man without saying a word, and put her hand on the left side of his face, next to his tattoo.

"I want to know the truth." She said quietly.

"Don't we all?" Phoenix said, smiling slightly.

"Rihanna. No." Elena said suddenly. She stepped forwards as Rihanna removed her hand from Phoenix's face. "I can't have you involved."

"You can't go." Rihanna said, almost in tears. "It's too dangerous."

"It's the only way we can find out the truth." Elena told her gently.

"She's right." Phoenix said, putting his hand on Rihanna's shoulder.

Rihanna looked helplessly at Phoenix's hand sideways, and then she finally gave in. Breaking down in tears, she buried her head in Phoenix's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

Elena could see why it had happened, and in a way, it was Phoenix's fault. That hand on her shoulder is something that Reno did regularly, in a brotherly way. Elena would never understand how Rihanna felt. She missed Reno a great deal, but as a good friend. Rihanna had lost her brother, and of course it was difficult. She had never been that close to her sister, but when had been killed, Reno had comforted her. Elena felt a pang of guilt as she realized she had basically abandoned Rihanna in her time of need.

"I'm sorry, Rihanna." Elena said, approaching the sobbing redhead.

"It's alright." Rihanna turned around, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She was shaking slightly and tears were still streaming down her porcelain cheeks. "If you have to go to Sector 6…" She said more confidently. "I want to come."

"Rihanna…" Elena said. She really didn't know how to respond to that. Of course there were many benefits to Rihanna coming with them, but she didn't want her to get hurt again. Rihanna had spent most of her childhood in the very same building that Reno had died in, so she would be very helpful when it came to navigating.

'_Why am I even thinking that?' _Elena thought to herself. She shouldn't even be considering taking Rihanna with her.

"Rihanna…" Elena said awkwardly. "I can't-"

"Let me come." Rihanna interrupted her. Her voice was much stronger now. "I remember the slums like it was yesterday. I spent most of my life in that one building…"

_

* * *

She stopped, hearing her blood rushing through her head in a pulsing beat. _

"_Rihanna…" came a taunting voice. "I know you're here."_

_The small girl tucked her legs in, hugging them as though she were holding onto them for dear life. She heard a satisfied snigger, and then footsteps walking away._

_That was how it was most days. She couldn't remember why she was there, but she was. All she knew was that she missed her mother, her father, and most of all, her brother. She was only 15, but everyday, her memories of her brother seemed to slip away to the extent that she barely remembered what he looked like. She didn't even know if he was alive or dead._

"_Reno…" Rihanna muttered, stretching out her cramped legs. She decided it would probably be safe to leave her hiding spot now, but as she stood up.._

"_Well, well, well…" The voice was wry, and slightly nasal. For one split second, she felt an immense longing for Reno, but as she turned around to face the man it vanished._

_His hair was jet black, and his eyes scarlet, just like any other person in that building. He was tall, and slightly lanky, and his expression was one that she trusted, despite it looking slightly devious._

"_What have I done now?" Rihanna asked him, her high-pitched voice shaking slightly. _

"_Nothing." The man shrugged. "Listen kid. You don't belong here, do you?"_

"_How do you-?"_

"_The color of your skin." He interrupted. "You still got some mortal life left in you."_

_Rihanna nodded her head and smiled at this man she hardly knew._

"_You gotta get outta here." He told her hastily. "That's my advice."_

"_I don't know how to." Rihanna said desperately. "If I knew-"_

"_I can help you." He said. Rihanna stared at him, not quite sure why he wanted to help her so badly. "Just stick with me, and we can get you out of here."_

"_Why me?" the redhead asked. "If you can get me out, why not get yourself out as well?"_

"_It's too late for me." He shook his head. "There's nothing that can be done for me…"_

* * *

Rihanna looked at the man in front of her. His eyes seemed to narrow, as though he were annoyed at something. 

"Do you remember me?" the redhead asked him.

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I decided to finally start including Rihanna in the plot, since she was the whole point of the whole series really lol. The flashback she had will be continuted very shortly. 

Please review


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: **Another update; I'm gladI got this one out so fast. It doesn't seem too rushed to me either. Once again, the flashback is being told to Elena and Phoenix. I dunno why, but re-reading the end of this really got me - maybe it's coz I'm listening to a sad song

Oh, and the bit about the water, I was trying to get the point across that although the vampires are undead, and don't need food or drink, Rihanna appreciates the home comforts.

Enjoy

** Chapter 31**

Phoenix shook his head, leaving Rihanna and Elena starting blankly.

"Sorry." He said, not looking at her, but turning his gaze to the floor.

"You must remember…" Rihanna said desperately. "We spent every day together… didn't we?"

* * *

"_Hey, kid. Catch."_

_Rihanna thrust out her arm and caught a bottle of water in her hands._

"_Where'd you get this?" the redhead asked._

"_I get around at night…" Phoenix said. "Ha… ignoring that."_

"_Immature." Rihanna said shaking her head._

"_You all set for tonight?" _

_Rihanna nodded her head nervously. She and Phoenix had come up with a plan for her to escape, although Rihanna still didn't see how it would help her at all. Even if she got out, she would still be a vampire, and wouldn't be able to go out in the sun. The only reply she had got from Phoenix was 'trust me, it will be different.'_

_Rihanna had only known Phoenix for a few weeks, but she had already grown to trust him like she'd known him years. Maybe it was because she missed her family so much, and Phoenix's sly smile and frequent sarcastic comments reminded her a little of Reno. Was she just so desperate for someone to hold onto? _

"_Will it work?" she asked him quietly._

"_Sure it will. Don't worry, kid." Phoenix patted her lightly on the back. "We'll get you out. You don't belong here…"_

"_Won't she find out though?"_

"_Vanessa? Hah, don't worry about her." _

_It was this mysterious behaviour that got Rihanna worried. Phoenix wouldn't even tell her the whole plan, yet he was so determined to get her out of there. Was there more of a reason than he was letting on?_

"…_Okay, so head down that passageway and you'll be out of here in no time." Phoenix said._

_Rihanna said her goodbyes to Phoenix and walked down the passageway as he had told her too. A foolish thing to do she soon learned. Everything went according to plan except one small hiccup – when she ran into Vanessa. Phoenix had set her up._

_She hadn't been that heartbroken in a long time. She had been punished by Vanessa for trying to escape, but that's not what was hurting. In the long years she had spent as a vampire, Phoenix was the only friend she had found, and now he had betrayed her. She never forgot that day, as much as she tried to. Her memory wasn't helped by the fact that from that day, she never saw Phoenix again…_

* * *

"…for three years." Rihanna shook her head. "And it's not likely I'll see him again."

"What?" Elena asked. She was utterly confused.

"You aren't Phoenix." The redhead said confidently. "Or at least… you aren't the Phoenix I knew."

"But… I remember." Phoenix said. He had a strange longing in his eyes. "I remember what you just told us."

"Prove it." Rihanna said sceptically. 

"She used a knife… she cut three slow lines across your… left arm." He told her, looking ashamed.

Rihanna looked at him, tears filling her eyes. Slowly, she put her left arm up and rolled up her jacket sleeve. There, etched clearly, were three scars, diagonally across her arm, as long as her whole forearm. Elena stared at the white marks as Rihanna looked up at Phoenix.

"But it wasn't…" Rihanna started. She stopped, tears beginning to run down her face. Shaking her head, she rolled her sleeve back down, and slowly, but dramatically left the room. Elena looked over at Phoenix, who looked truly helpless. Tears never ran from his eyes, but they were filled with the kind of emotion that surpassed all that. Elena suddenly had the feeling that staring at those sad, turquoise eyes, she would be crying all his tears for him.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: **sniff I almost cried writing this chapter... I really shouldn't listen to sad songs while I'm writing this.

Enjoy

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Chapter 32**

It was the first time Elena had seen anything like this. Phoenix was standing there, positively heart-broken. It was strange for Elena because since Phoenix had arrived, she had always looked to him for support, but now she held more strength than he did.

Phoenix's bright, aqua eyes always looked at the floor, and his jet black hair hung scruffily over them, his long pony-tail falling to the front on his body. Elena didn't know whether it was just because he needed a hair-cut or not, but she had noticed that over time, Phoenix's hair had gotten a lot messier, like a lot less care had been put into his presentation. The scars under his eyes were still a shock for Elena to see, but she was getting used to it by now, and those, combined with his unusual eye-color were about the only color she could see on Phoenix. Even his already porcelain skin seemed to have gotten paler the past couple of days.

He shook his head vigorously, still looking at the floor. "She's… I can't…"

"Phoenix…" Elena edged towards the door, sensing that Phoenix would try and run after Rihanna.

As she suspected, before she managed to get to the door, Phoenix tried to make a run for it. Normally, he would've been too fast for her, but she managed to grab his arm just in time.

"Phoenix, no." Elena said stubbornly. The black-haired man turned to her sadly.

"I don't know what to do." He said simply, relaxing his arm so Elena let go of him.

"We have to hurry if we're gonna do what we planned." Elena said. "We'll need Rihanna right? Or we'll be lost."

"I think… I think I can remember." Phoenix said slowly.

"You? I thought you couldn't remember being there? That's what you said." Elena blurted out.

"I don't… you!" he said, his voice suddenly rising. "It was you!"

"W-what?" Elena stuttered, suddenly slightly scared by the expression on Phoenix's face.

"I was there… with Rihanna… you attacked me… with a knife." Phoenix's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I didn't… I did it to stop… Reno?" Elena stared at the man intently, and watched as confusion clouded his eyes.

"I remember it… I killed… my mother?" Phoenix looked even more distressed as he ran his long fingers through his hair.

"Vanessa?" Elena said, utterly shocked. "Reno killed Vanessa, not you."

"I…" Phoenix shook his head again. "I can't do this."

Elena paused thoughtfully for a moment. Quite clearly, Phoenix was struggling to remember everything, even who he really was. "I think… I think we need to go back to Sector 6 as soon as we can."

"I … can't…"

"Phoenix, it's the only way we're going to sort this out…" Elena looked up briefly, "It's the only way we can find out who you really are."

* * *

Elena felt her pulse speed up as she turned the corner onto a street she hadn't been on in a long time. The street where Reno had spent the last several years living. She felt a lump in her throat as she stood, staring at the window of Reno's abandoned apartment. These apartments were owned by Shinra, so Elena knew no one had been living in it since Reno died.

Sighing, she approached Reno's front door and pulled out the key that she had kept all the time she had known Reno. She wasn't even sure if Reno had realized she had it. She pushed the key in the locked and turned it, watching as the dark blue door creaked open, letting her into the dark, empty apartment.

It was slightly creepy, being in the abode of a dead-man, but Elena didn't much mind. It was upsetting more than anything, everything see looked at brought back memories of things than had happened, whether they were good or bad times, and this just made her long for Reno. Even if he came back to haunt her, she would appreciate knowing he didn't blame her for his death. Still, every night when she tried to sleep, she remembered that day, Rude's firm grasp on her shoulder… what if she had broken free and stopped Reno?

She paused by the couch and looked at the coffee table. She remembered the book that Reno had been so dedicated to translate. The book was missing, but the piece of paper with Reno's untidy writing scrawled on it.

"_The Wutai Vampires – Oner Rye_

_The Legend of the Vampires from Wutai_

_The vampires from Wutai were always stronger; more powerful than any other vampire across the planet. Then came the evolution, when the vampires were split apart from each other. Some went to Junon, some to Nibelheim, but most of them went to the sector 6 slums in Midgar. Amoung these, was the original clan leader, Vanessa Rye, and her daughter Valicia. It is still thought across the planet that these two vampires are the most powerful by far, and it takes more courage and power to destroy them. Unlike other vampires, any mortal can destroy them… it just takes a force more powerful than any other; sacrifice. If they are quite willing to sacrifice themselves for the vampire to be destroyed, then it can happen…"_

She remembered her heart leaping into her throat when she read that for the first time, and it just did exactly the same thing. Why had things gone so wrong? If only Reno hadn't taken things into his own hands.

Then, something clicked in Elena's mind. When they had found Reno's translated writing that day, it had been laying on top of the book by Oner Rye. Now that book was missing, but nobody could have possibly taken it. Nobody else had a key to Reno's apartment, except Reno himself, and Tseng had one. But there was no way Tseng would do that.

'Right then,' Elena thought to herself. It seemed that she finally had a lead. Someone had taken the book, and she wanted to know who, and why. Maybe that would lead her to finally finding out the truth.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: **this chapter's kinda short, coz of the flashback I put in at the end. I thought I'd put that much in, since most of you probably won't remember that part of the story, since it was so long ago.

Enjoy

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Chapter 33

Her decision was final, and no one could change her mind. She remembered as she hurriedly dressed herself that there had been times; more than once, when she had thought about giving up on her theory, but now she was sure. She would not give up, no matter what it took. She would find out the truth behind Phoenix's patchy memory.

She didn't know what it was, but something had made her want to find out the truth even more. Maybe it was visiting Reno's apartment; the rooms were so quiet and empty, which was something which had never happened before. It was like Reno should have been there, but of course he wasn't. Elena felt like she at least owed it to Reno's memory to find out what was really going on.

Her next problem of course was the book. She ran her nails down the edge of the folded piece of paper in her hands, wondering what she would do to go about finding the book. There was only one thing she could think of, and that was that Tseng had taken the book back to the library because it was 'Shinra's property.'

… So that would be the most appropriate place to start…

Elena took a deep breath and knocked on Tseng's office door. Of course, she had plenty of work she should have been getting on with that morning, but even if she lost her job because of this, it would have been worth it.

"Come in." came Tseng's icy voice.

Elena opened the door and entered, still clutching the piece of paper in her hand like it was her last hope in the world.

"Sir, I need to talk to you about something…" Elena began. She wasn't really sure how to word what she wanted to say.

"Go ahead…" Tseng said, looking awkwardly at the piece of paper in her hand.

"Well… I went across to Reno's apartment last night…" she said, putting the paper on Tseng's desk. "… and, well this paper was still there, but the book about the vampires… it's gone."

Elena saw Tseng's eyebrows rise at these last words. Elena automatically realized that her searching was going to go beyond this office.

"Elena… you shouldn't go digging up things from the past… you'll only end up getting hurt." Tseng said seriously. He had a look in his eyes Elena didn't like.

"Sir, do you know where the book is?" Elena asked sternly. She wouldn't let Tseng stop her finding out what she wanted to know.

"No, I promise I don't." Tseng said sincerely. "Nothing in Reno's apartment has been touched. Rufus and I decided to leave it how it was."

"Okay." Elena replied, believing Tseng was telling the truth.

"Elena…" Tseng said as Elena got up to leave. "… are you going to take this any further?"

Elena paused slightly before answering, as she tried to quickly sort the thoughts in her head. "Yes, I am."

* * *

Elena sat in almost total darkness, the piece of paper than had been in her hand was now in her pocket, and she sat upright on the hauntingly familiar couch, trying to think things through.

It was stupid returning there, she knew it, but now she had done it once, she felt she needed to keep doing it. She hadn't changed anything in Reno's apartment, it remained untouched, but she just had the urge to come here to mull things over. Tseng had been right in a way. Elena knew she was making things harder for herself, but the good memories that being there brought back were too much to ignore. She knew what she was going to have to, because after all there were only two other people she could think of that would have done anything with the book. The first was Rude, although she seriously doubted it would be him, and the second was Phoenix. However, why he would take the book was beyond her.

Suddenly as these thought were still running through her mind, something clicked. She had completely forgotten what had happened in the locker room all that time ago…

_The first thing she spotted was a black bag laying on one of the benches. She knew it belonged to Phoenix because she had seen him with it earlier. As she peered inside it, she saw the faint glow of materia; except something wasn't right. This materia was different, but in a way it was very familiar to her. He reached out to take it, but her heart leapt as another hand snapped onto her wrist._

"_You know…" A man whispered into her ear from behind her. "It's not a polite thing to do, searching through someone's bag."_

_Elena pulled her wrist free and twisted around to see an unfamiliar man standing behind her. He had short black hair, with a handsome dark face, and glowing red eyes. He grinned at Elena to show a pair of sharp, deadly-looking fangs. Elena's eyes widened in terror._

"_Who are you?" she asked quickly._

"_I don't think that matters. I think all that matters at the moment…" he pulled the strange materia from Phoenix's bag and pocketed it. "… Is that I get my materia back."_

_Elena was too petrified to say anything, but stared directly into the man's red eyes. The deeper she looked, the more familiar he became to her, until she wasn't quite as sure that they hadn't met before._

"_Oh, and the answer to your question… my name?" the man turned to leave through the fire exit to their right. "It's Phoenix."_


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: **I'm trying to catch up now, but half my usual reviewers appeared to have disappeared... I hope the same thing doesn't happen that did with my Kingdom Hearts fic. don't leave me everyone :(

Anymoo, I finally got onto the last part of this story, so I'm being extra careful about how I write it. please REVIEW

Enjoy

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Chapter 34

'_Where is it… the materia?'_

'_Who are you?'_

There were many questions Elena could have asked Phoenix, but she decided to keep them to herself. She didn't want to raise anything because at the end of the day, if Phoenix distanced himself from her, she wouldn't have any help going to Sector 6, and she didn't think she could do it on her own.

'_Why are you torturing me like this…?'_

"'Laney?"

Elena felt her heart leap as she heard that quiet voice call out to her. She knew it was nobody but Phoenix, but she treasured that nickname every time he said it. Then her mind caught up with her…

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked as she heard Phoenix's soft footsteps approaching her. It was only then that she realized how dark it had become while she had been sitting in Reno's apartment.

"I asked Tseng where you'd be… he told me to come here." Phoenix said. His tone was subtle, and unlike anything she had ever heard from him. "I have to talk to you…"

"You… do?" Elena looked at him as he sat down beside her. From the darkness in the room all she could see clearly were his eyes, shining with some unexplained sadness.

"I… I need your help." He said solemnly.

"Go on…"

"I… I thought I could manage." He shook his head. "When I first came here, everything was fine, but every time I talk to you… the thoughts goin' through my head… I swear they aren't mine…"

"I don't…"

"Sometimes…" Phoenix interrupted softly. "… I feel like I have a duty… to be Reno. I don't even know who he was, but I just…"

Elena said nothing, just nodded gently. She had sensed that Phoenix was becoming more and more agitated everyday… the Phoenix that she had fought with all that time ago; the one that had reminded her so much of Reno had gone. But she knew it was still there, it just needed finding again.

"I want to end this. I can't take it… It's as though I'm fighting with myself, and I think… I think I'm hurting you, and Rihanna."

"I understand."

"I want it to stop."

Elena put her hand on Phoenix's arm comfortingly. That was what he needed after all… it was strange, and somehow satisfying to comfort someone else, and it wasn't until that moment that she realized how few times in her life she had needed to do anything like this. The day when Reno's memories of Rihanna had been brought up was one of the only times she had had to help anyone else. Was she really that weak to always lean on other people, rather than the other way around? Now that Reno was gone, she had realized her pillar of strength had vanished, and she had had to stand on her own two legs more and more.

'_Why has this happened?'_

"I think… the time's right, what do you think?" Elena said, breaking an awkward, yet emotional silence.

"To go back?" Phoenix said. His voice was unfaltering, but Elena could hear the sadness within it.

"Yeah."

"You mean-?"

"Now, yeah. Darkness it better and it won't make much difference when we're inside." Elena said. The last thing she wanted to do was to go there, but she really didn't have much choice; now it wasn't just her that was affected by this.

"Okay." Phoenix said after a pause. "I'll do it."

"You realize what could happen though?" Elena asked him

"Yeah, I could be killed… but at the moment, I've not got a whole lot to live for."


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: **Phew, I finally did it. I'm gonna be pretty slow at the moment with my exams and stuff that are going on. Stick with me guys, I'll sort myself out eventually :)

Enjoy

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Chapter 35

The night wind blew softly, blowing the hair off of Elena's face. She swallowed hard as she stared at the building they were standing before. The moon hanging in the sky just behind it didn't help Elena's foreboding feeling.

"Are you ready?" Phoenix asked her gently. Elena turned to face her companion, feeling slightly guilty. At the end of the day, this was ultimately Elena's fault; she was the one who had brought the whole thing up in the first place. But as she stared at Phoenix's pale face, and the dark red marks below his eyes, it made her more determined to disturb this balance she had gotten herself into these last few months.

Elena nodded and Phoenix smiled at her encouragingly. She hadn't really thought about how hard this was going to be for her, since the last time she saw this place was when she was leaving Reno's dead body behind. She felt tears burning her eyes as she approached the entrance with Phoenix by her side, she remembered that day they left, and they thought Rude had gone as well. It turned out Rude had gone back for Yuffie, just to show that Reno's death was not in vain.

Elena and Phoenix were just about to step inside the building when a desperate cry came behind them.

"Wait!" Elena turned to see Rihanna running towards them. "Please."

"Rihanna…" Elena sighed as the redhead stopped running. "Please just go…"

"No." Rihanna said stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere, except from with you. You don't understand why I want in on this?"

"Of course I understand." Elena said. "But…"

The blonde paused for a moment. Was she still being selfish by not letting Rihanna come? Reno was as much her business as Elena's and Phoenix's, if not more. And if anything were to happen to Elena or Phoenix, then Rihanna was going to experience even more loss… how was she to cope with that?

"Come on." She said, deciding to try to finally do what was right.

* * *

It was just as dark as Elena remembered, and everything was exactly the same. Only one thing was different. Just ahead of her, where the tall statue used to be in the middle of the hall, a small, white rectangular item lay on the floor. She walked cautiously over to it and picked it up.

"It's here…" she said quietly as Phoenix and Rihanna followed her. "The book… how did it get here?"

All at once, she felt the book being snatched out of her hands; she looked up and saw Phoenix, his face sheet white. He opened the book and flicked through vaguely.

"Leave it here." He said quietly.

"What? Why?" Elena asked him.

"Just leave it."

"Phoenix." Rihanna piped up. "If you're hiding anything from us…"

"I'm not. Come on."

The black-haired man walked forwards, not to be followed by the other two Turks. He didn't seem to care though. Elena stared at his retreating form in confusion. He was acting differently already, or maybe he wasn't; Elena wasn't too sure. Maybe it was just that she had felt so much closer to him; because of the tattoos perhaps… it was like she almost had Reno back.

But of course, she didn't. Signalling Rihanna to follow, Elena ran to catch up with Phoenix.

"Do you know where you're going?" she asked him.

"Vaguely." He said bluntly. Elena sighed and took a swift step forward to stand in front of Phoenix. "What are you doing?"

"Just stop." Elena said, slightly angrily. "What are you hiding from us? Since we stepped in here you've turned so stoic."

"I dunno…" he shrugged his bony shoulders. Elena shot him a glare and he sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "I just… being back here. It seems to make things clearer for me."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, her eyebrows knitted.

"I don't know… maybe I'm being stupid. But I just… I'm not sure if the memories that are returning to me are still mine or not."  
"Well, what are they?" Rihanna said.

"I'd… rather not say, I'm not proud of a lot of things I've done,"

"Hmm… come on." Elena said. They would never find anything out unless they went deeper into the whole thing. They needed to find the memories that had been left behind that day. They needed to piece it all back together, and then maybe, just maybe Elena would be one step closer to learning the truth.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: **Well, get ready folks. One more chapter left and you will all know everything. Excited? I don't want to finish this, I've enjoyed writing it. This chapter is probably a little confusing, especially at the end, but it's s'posed to be, so don't panic.

Enjoy

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Chapter 36

It was strange, mainly because Phoenix seemed to know exactly where he was going, despite previous claims that he'd never been in the vampire base before. But Elena noticed he was acting very strangely as well. Every now and then, he would stop his quick pace, and close his eyes for several minutes, standing deadly still. Elena just stared at him, as did Rihanna, when eventually he looked up and shook his head. He carried on walking without saying a word.

"Phoenix?" Elena said, breaking the very long silence after he had stopped for at least the fifth time.

The black-haired man stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Elena. He had a strange glint in his eyes that Elena had only ever seen in a person once before. Reno had had the same strange look when he had been coming to terms with becoming a vampire all that time ago.

"What?" he said vaguely. He seemed to be staring right through Elena.

"You're acting funny…" Elena said, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry." He replied, starting to walk again. Elena grabbed him by his forearm and pulled him back.

"Tell me what's on your mind." Elena said. "You're not helping this at all. There's something wrong."

"I swear, it's nothing." Phoenix said, suddenly seeming to grasp on reality as his eyes lit up. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

"…right." Elena said. She knew there was something wrong, but if Phoenix was anything like Reno, he wasn't about to give anything away. She let go of his arm and allowed him to carry on walking, with Elena and Rihanna behind him. Elena looked over at the red-headed woman, who looked close to tears. Elena could relate to how she was feeling; all she wanted was for this to be over so she would know where she stood. Rihanna smiled weakly at her, and then turned to look forward.

As they walked, it was starting to get too dark to see, and although nobody else raised a complaint, Elena pulled her flashlight out of her pocket and shone it down the corridor.

Elena's heart jumped up in her throat. She could see that they were just about at the end of the corridor, and in front of them were several arched doorways, only one of which was open. This was the corridor Reno had started to run down when he had been suffering from his vampirism all that time ago. Rude had had to be the one to go and get him, because Elena was too frightened, and Rude thought that Tseng going wasn't a good idea. They had made it out alright that time, but Elena had trusted Reno and lot more than she trusted Phoenix. In fact, her trust for that man that had that second stopped walking and stood still was fast deteriorating.

"Which way do you think?" Rihanna asked shakily. Phoenix shrugged his shoulders as he stared at the archways blankly. However, Elena recognized the red glow that was coming out of the open archway.

"That way." Elena said, pointing. Her mind was racing as she remembered the events that happened in the room beyond.

Phoenix nodded and walked forwards towards the archway. Before he walked through, he turned and looked at Rihanna and Elena, grinning. Elena opened her mouth to question this, but Phoenix cut her short.

"This is gonna be fun." He said slyly before carrying on walking. Elena looked at Rihanna who merely looked scared, and the both of them followed Phoenix.

Elena ran her finger down the blade in her pocket. She wanted to be prepared for the worse, and after all, it was the same silver dagger Vanessa had been killed with. The same silver dagger than Elena herself had thrust into Reno's stomach to protect herself… in this very room.

"Well then." Phoenix said, turning and crossing his arms. "We're here."

"Why are we here again?" Rihanna asked. Elena could see she instantly wished she hadn't.

"What were you hopin' to find I wonder." He wondered out loud. Elena really didn't like the manic grin on his face.

"What indeed."

Elena and Rihanna turned simultaneously to see where the voice had come from. It was a figure that Elena was starting to think she may have dreamed, but what surprised her most was Rihanna's reaction.

"Phoenix!" she cried, looking at the man who had just appeared, rather than the Phoenix they had just been with. "You! Why…?"


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: **And here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for... or not, depending on how much you like the story. Quite possibly the most important chapter in the whole story, so pay attention. Also I'm sorry, but I tried my best to make it as un-confusing as possible, so if anything is unclear, just ask.

Enjoy

* * *

**Chapter 37**

"Nice to see you, Rihanna." The man said smugly. He looked at Elena, smiling even wider. "And you… well you don't seem happy to see me."

"You're Phoenix?" Elena asked. The man merely lifted up his hand, to show her the green glow of the materia that was in his hand.

"Well, Rihanna? Long time, no see. Tell me, was it your dear brother that got out of here?" he asked the redhead.

"Shut up." Rihanna said shakily. Elena could see she had tears in her eyes, but she wasn't really sure what to do.

"You bastard!" the black-haired Turk shouted from behind them. Elena turned to face him, unsure of whether to trust him. "How could you?"

"Well, we'll start with you." The smirking vampire said. He pulled out a gun and instantaneously shot at Phoenix, who dropped to the floor. Elena wasn't sure where the bullet had hit him, and she had no time to check.

"How could you!" Elena shouted. "He was one of your own kind!"

"You think?" the vampire asked calmly. "Reno was never one of us; just my pitiful mother gave him that temporary fate."

"What are you talking about?" Rihanna asked, still shaking.

"Who knows? This man-" Phoenix walked over to the man on the floor and kicked him the stomach. What worried Elena the most was that he didn't respond at all. "-he's just a pawn in my plan to obliterate Shin-Ra. He's been quite useful."

"Reno?" Elena questioned. Her heart leapt to her throat. Could it be that she had been correct all this time?

"Of course Reno. Are the Shin-Ra that blind?" Phoenix laughed. "You didn't recognize him?"

"If we didn't recognize him, we wouldn't be here." Elena said angrily. "And you made a stupid mistake by showing up in that locker room that day."

"Stupid mistake?" Phoenix laughed evilly, making Elena's blood curdle. "You think? The ending will still come, and you will meet your deaths. I want to destroy Shin-Ra after all, and you're part of Shin-Ra are you not?"

"Phoenix…" Rihanna said in a small, hopeless voice. "Please don't do this."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Phoenix said in a voice so sweet Elena might have almost believed it was sincere. "But fate is fate. This is what's going to happen."

Elena couldn't bear to see Rihanna's tears fall anymore, and decided enough was enough. Growling under her breath, she ran towards Phoenix, who dodged her easily.

"Did you learn nothing from Reno's mistakes?" He asked amusedly. "Do you want to end up dead as well?"

"No…" Elena said, breathing heavily. "Because he's not dead."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Phoenix said. "Not now."

"Shut up!" Rihanna screamed. She pulled a very familiar silver knife out of her pocket, and ran at Phoenix, thrusting it straight in his heart. Everything seemed to stop, and the two women stared at Phoenix, as he looked slightly shocked at first, and then he grinned.

"You stupid, stupid girl." He said, putting a hand to the dagger and pulling it out. "Here-" he threw it back to Rihanna. "-Try again if you like."

"Rihanna…" Elena said quietly. This was it; the end. In the excitement of discovering the truth, Elena had forgotten what had been written in Oner's book.  
Was it sacrifice, or was it vampirism? Elena couldn't remember which way around it was supposed to be, but either way, they were finished. Elena couldn't let someone die now and none of them were vampires. Not even Reno was a vampire, and he was lying on the floor fighting for his life, and probably unsure of whom he really was.

"Rihanna, come on." Elena hissed, an idea suddenly clicking in her mind. The two Turks sprinted from the room, not looking behind them. Elena didn't know why or how, but she was sure that Phoenix was not following them. She felt terrible about leaving Reno on the floor, but there was nothing she could do, and if any of them stood a chance of surviving, there was only a limited amount of things they could do.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N:** I think I was due to update Lithium instead of this, but I want to get this finished. I know it's a short chapter, but it still took me a long time, because I suddenly realized that I'd completely screwed up the whole story (a massive mistake that luckily no one realized) So I had to re-think the rest of this story so it would make sense. I hope the work pays off.

Enjoy

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Chapter 38

Elena had no idea how she remembered the way back, but after about 10 minutes, the two Turks stopped running and found themselves back near the building entrance, where Oner's book was. Elena grabbed it hastily and ruffled through the pages. Eventually, she found what she was looking for, and read it out loud to Rihanna, albeit slowly as she swapped the words back around the right way.

"The vampires from Wutai were always stronger; more powerful than any other vampire across the planet. Then came the evolution, when the vampires were split apart from each other. Some went to Junon, some to Nibelheim, but most of them went to the Sector 5 slums in Midgar. Amoung these, was the original clan leader, Vanessa Rye, and her daughter Valicia. It is still thought across the planet that these two vampires are the most powerful by far, and it takes more courage and power to destroy them. Unlike other vampires, any mortal can destroy them… it just takes a force more powerful than any other; sacrifice. If they are quite willing to sacrifice themselves for the vampire to be destroyed, then it can happen…"

Elena fell silent, and Rihanna stood, biting her nail. She seemed to be thinking something through, but the more minutes that passed, the more confused her expression became.

"It doesn't make sense." The redhead said finally. "Vanessa and Valicia were two of the most powerful vampires from Wutai, yet Vanessa didn't need any sacrifice to be killed."

"You're right…" Elena muttered. She had never thought of it before. She opened the book again and flicked through a few more pages, trying to scan read things. She couldn't really see much that would be of use to them, until she got to the last few pages. Her heart pounding, she quickly read the paragraph to herself. "There was a scandal…" she said finally.

"Well done." Elena jumped as she heard Phoenix's voice right behind her. She hadn't heard him come in. "And I think that's enough." He closed the book and took it off Elena, tossing it to one side.

"Is it true?" The blonde asked him in a shocked voice. "Is that book true?"

"Depends on which part you're asking about." Phoenix said smugly.

"Valicia…? She's not really a Rye, is she?" Elena carried on.

"Not entirely true… it was me and my mother who weren't part of Rye family." Phoenix smiled grimly. "Well, are you happy? You know everything."

"Elena, run!" Rihanna screamed suddenly. Elena took note of the redhead's command, and sprinted away from Phoenix, following the fellow Turk. She didn't much care whether Phoenix was following them or not, she only cared about getting wherever Rihanna was taking them.

* * *

Eventually, Rihanna slowed to a halt, panting slightly to catch her breath. Elena looked around her, completely clueless as to where they were.

"What are we doing here?" she asked the redhead.

"I have a plan." Rihanna said. "What exactly did that book say?"

"I can't remember exactly. Something about confusion in heritage, and Rye was not the original family name… Valicia wasn't Vanessa's daughter; only her step-daughter, but somehow nobody knew apart from Phoenix."

"So that means that it takes another vampire to kill him?"

"That's what I assume." Elena said, wondering vaguely what was going on in Rihanna's mind.

"Okay… c'mon."


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: _PLEASE READ!!_** So, so sorry about the long wait. I'm really trying to get back on track with my stories, but this one especially is giving me major problems. I don't have writers block or anything, the storyline is so damn complicated... it's getting confusing to write now. So if I have messed up, or there's anything at all you don't understand, please just ask me, and I'll try my best to explain XD

Also, because of the fact that I've changed the storyline _yet again _I may need to make yet another sequel. I really want everyone's opinion, because I'm a little worried about losing people's interest. There's already been four stories, so if there was a fifth one won't be as long as this one, I swear would you still be interested? Or would it be better to just carry it on in this story. I don't like making it so long, and since it's almost 40 chapters now, I was going to stop at 40, and start the new sequel from there. I really don't know what to do, so please, _please _give me your opinion. My mind is completely blank at the moment...

So, worries aside, please enjoy the chapter. I tried really hard on it, despite the long wait, so I hope it will be worth it

* * *

**Chapter 39**

"Rihanna!" Elena shouted. The redhead finally stopped in her tracks, and Elena slowed to a halt as well.

"Stop running so fast…" Elena panted. "What's your plan?"

Rihanna opened her mouth to answer, then shut it again, settling on shaking her head. "I don't know what to do… I just wanted to get away from Phoenix. I can't stand it."

Elena patted Rihanna sympathetically on the shoulder and sighed. "I understand… but we can't keep running… we need to come up with a real plan…"

"It doesn't make sense…" The redhead said, remaining surprisingly calm. "We can't do anything until we know exactly who… or what Phoenix is."

"You're right." Elena said, her heart pounding. "It can't be right, and know I won't be able to get that book back. Phoenix wouldn't have just told us all of that… then we would know how to kill him… why would he make it so easy for us?" Elena was questioning herself as much as Rihanna, but she was leading herself around in circles, she was completely clueless about what to do.

"'Lena…" Rihanna said suddenly. "I thought of something…"

"What?" Elena said, her heart speeding up yet again. The look on Rihanna's face told her that she was being serious.

"Who is the only person that would know everything that Phoenix does, but would actually tell us the truth?" the redhead asked, a grin suddenly forming on her face.

"You mean someone on our side?" Elena said, still completely clueless.

"Yeah… Reno." Rihanna told her excitedly. All of a sudden her face fell, and her eyes began to water. "But… he could be dead by now."

"Of course…" Elena didn't know why she didn't think of it before. All those times Phoenix, who she now knew was actually Reno, had told her he wasn't sure what was going on in his head, that he had so many different memories that he couldn't piece together. It was because he was remembering two separate lives, and Reno's and Phoenix's memories had become one. Perhaps his mind was still in that state. It was the only chance they had, but Rihanna was right; he could well have been dead. She wasn't sure where the real Phoenix's bullet had hit him, but it had obviously done some damage in any case.

"Let's go." Elena said. She decided that in any case, the sooner they got to Reno, the more chance he would have of surviving. Plus if they could get those memories out of Reno's head, they would know exactly how to kill Phoenix. Maybe if they were lucky they would get out of that place alive before the final showdown, and come back much more prepared. Elena shook the thoughts out of her head as she and Rihanna ran the familiar path down to where Reno was. She had to think of the moment, and concentrate on finding Reno first… one step at a time…

* * *

The first thing she saw was the blood; a scarlet pool, spreading across the cold stone floor. The figure seemed so familiar, yet so unfamiliar at once. She had spent so much time with him, but now she knew it was Reno, it was strange to look at him, with his jet black hair. She could have never imagined him looking like that before. Reno was laid on his back, completely motionless, with his head leaning to one side; she could see the tendon sticking out on his pale neck. As she approached him, she could see the pulse in his neck. It was faint, but it was there. She could see him breathing, but as she leaned over and put her hand next his mouth, she could feel small, sharp breaths.

"He's alive." Elena said to Rihanna, who had been standing well back. The blonde Turk couldn't help but smile. '_Could this be where things get better?'_

Rihanna smiled and approached her brother, kneeling on the floor beside him and hugging him as best as she could. It was quite a touching site, and Elena could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She could only imagine the emotion running through Rihanna; she finally had her big brother back.

Looking around, Elena could see nothing but the four walls surrounding her. In a way, she really didn't want to leave that room for fear of being caught, but she knew the longer they waited, the more difficult it would be.

"We need to get out of here." Elena said finally.

Rihanna looked up at her. "Out? You mean…"

"We'll come back, but we need this information off of Reno first." Elena told her. "I'm just scared we'll get caught."

"Don't worry… you take Reno, and I'll run a different way…" Rihanna said bravely.

"But what if he catches you?" Elena asked. She was shocked she would even make such a suggestion.

"It's better than us all being caught, isn't it? And he's more likely to come after me than you." Rihanna looked down at Reno's pale face, then back up at Elena. "Please…" She said desperately. "I need you to save him…"

"Just promise me…" Elena said, her eyes streaming. "Promise me you'll leave here straight away… I want to meet you outside."

"I promise." Rihanna stood up and hugged Elena briefly, then looked down at Reno. "Bye… big brother…" were her last, shaky words before she left the room hastily, almost running, leaving Elena alone with the man she had been longing to see for so long. For some reason, it wasn't the emotional reunion she had been longing for.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: **Happy 200th review for me! yay! Anyway, this is the **LAST CHAPTER! **omg! I spent like, all day on this coz I got nothin' better to do, but I wanted to get the last chapter up before tomorrow coz I'm movin' house tomorrow so I won't have a lot of time.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading and reviewing. There will be a **fifth and final sequel **up very, very soon, very appropriately called '**The Final Showdown' **Shouldn't take me _too _long to get started on that. If you read this story, please read the sequel as well, because I'd hate for you to miss out, since I haven't revealed a lot in this one.

So anyway, enough talk from me. Enjoy the (very long) chapter, and please review

* * *

**Chapter 40**

Elena had no idea how she was going to manage it, but she gave carrying Reno her best shot anyway. She bent over and took hold of one of Reno's arms, wrapping it around her shoulders. She used one arm to support him under his back, and the other to support his legs. Sure she was steady, Elena stood up, lifting Reno clear off the floor. He was surprisingly heavy for someone so skinny, but she guessed she could manage it. Without wasting anymore time, she exited the room and desperately tried to remember which way it was to the exit.

Thoughts of Rihanna kept creeping into her head as she carried Reno as quickly as she could. She couldn't help but think that she might not be okay, even though she had spent most of her life inside the walls they were in now. She just didn't want another reason to feel responsible for anything that happened to any more of her friends.

Elena's heart was pounding; see where the statue near the exit used to be. Only a few more steps and she'd be there. She sped up her pace, not being able to bare the thoughts of being caught out at the last minute, and finally made it to the exit. She crept as quietly as possible out of the door, which was difficult given her current circumstances.

The blonde smiled and sighed with relief; she had never been so happy to see the Slums before. Carefully, she let Reno slip out of her arms onto the floor, and stretched out her aching back. She had no need to panic anymore, since she knew Phoenix wouldn't follow her straight out of that building. She didn't know why she thought that, because it was quite easy for him to kill all three of them now, but she felt like she knew Phoenix, and his ways, since technically she had just spent the past few months with him.

There was only one panic in her mind now, and it was getting increasingly worrying; Rihanna. Elena had been sat beside Reno waiting for a good 5 minutes, and there was still no sign of the redhead. Where could she be?

Knowing there was nothing she could really do to help Rihanna; Elena focused her attention on Reno. He was lying motionless on the floor next to Elena's feet, just where the blonde had put him. The bullet wound was worse than she had thought, and as she pulled back his torn and bloody shirt, she saw it was in his chest. Elena's heart pounding as she looked at the deep wound, but she knew it couldn't have been through his heart, or directly through his lungs because although it wouldn't have created an instant death, it wouldn't have taken long for him to pass away without any medical attention. He was showing no signs of wanting to wake up, which was what worried Elena slightly. She had often heard stories from Reno himself about people ending up in comas for years, until the hospital staff finally say enough is enough, and pull out the plug to the life support, effectively committing murder themselves. Luckily for Reno though, he seemed to be managing to survive okay on his own. However long that would last however was a different story.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Elena saw the tell-tale red hair of Rihanna approaching her. She looked a little worse for wear, but Elena guessed she probably did as well, given the ordeal the two of them had just been through.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked her concernedly. Rihanna just nodded, breathing heavily.

"We have to go. Now." The redhead said breathlessly. "I don't know if the vampires are gonna come after us or not. I'll take him if you want…" she said, motioning to Reno.

* * *

Taking it in turns to carry Rihanna's unconscious brother, the two of them eventually managed to get back to Shin-Ra HQ without too much trouble. It was as dark as it had been when they had set out for Sector 6, but Elena knew that some people usually hung around till late. One of those people was usually Tseng. Reno was still breathing, and that was all Elena and Rihanna were bothered about. Luckily for them, as they entered HQ, Tseng was standing just 50 feet away at the bottom of the stairs, talking to an infantryman with a panicked expression on his face. As soon as he saw the three Turks, he rushed over, his expression not changing.

"Why did you do it Elena?" Tseng said, taking Reno's wrist and pausing, as though checking for a pulse. A thought came to Elena's head as soon as she saw Tseng's reaction. On the journey back, she had been thinking on how pointless the trip had been, they hadn't gained anything, and Reno had just got hurt. But now she saw how wrong she was. She had achieve was she had set out to do. She had Reno back.

"Sir… I was right." Elena said, catching Tseng staring the red marks below Reno's eyes. "It's Reno."

"Are you sure?" Tseng said, as though trying to stop himself from believing her. He suddenly shook his head. "We can discuss this later; take him to infirmary." He said quickly before running off ahead of them.

Elena looked at Rihanna and couldn't help but grin, and Rihanna did the same. It was heart-warming really, since it was first time Elena had seen Rihanna genuinely smile since she lost Reno.

It seemed so much more difficult to get Reno over to the infirmary, even though it was only a short distance away from where they were, probably because both of them ached so much from their trialing experience. The doctors and nurses took Reno off her hands almost instantly. The good think about the Shin-Ra infirmary was that nobody wasted time asking straight away what happened. Elena guessed that all the gun-shot wounds in SOLDIER and the Turks were pretty much the same story, so they just filled the details in later.

"Can I just ask you to step outside for the moment?" said a kind-sounding female doctor. Elena recognized her, but she couldn't place her face. Suddenly, Rihanna piped up loudly.

"Doctor Evelyn?" she asked.

Then it clicked in Elena's head as the blonde-haired doctor ushered them outside. She closed the door and then smiled gently at the two Turks.

"You're the one who did the physicals…" Elena said, remembering Phoenix's physical. It was weird to think all this time he'd been Reno. "You showed your clip-board to Tseng because…"

"Because Phoenix's details were all exactly the same as Reno's, the old Turk." The doctor finished, smiling. "That's right. Now then, would you like to tell me what happened?"

"It's a long story…" Rihanna said. "But the man you just took in there wasn't Phoenix, it was Reno…"

"The one who died?" Doctor Evelyn questioned.

"Yeah…" Elena confirmed. "Except he didn't die… he was shot by the real Phoenix…"

"I bet that really _is _a long story…" The doctor said smiling. "Well, save it for Tseng, because we have to go and save Reno's life."

At those words Doctor Evelyn left Elena and Rihanna to go and help the other doctors. The two of them sat down on some chairs that were outside the infirmary, and Rihanna sighed.

"Really brings back memories, huh?" the redhead said.

Elena laughed nervously. "You know, I can't believe we didn't actually pick up on this earlier…"

"We did…" Rihanna said looking at the blonde. "We just didn't do anything about it."

"Exactly, because we weren't sure…" Elena said enthusiastically. "But I remember now; it's all really clear. All the scars that I saw on his body, they all fit in… well, except one."

"What one's that?" Rihanna asked.

"The ones on his hands… I don't know where they came from." Elena said shaking her head. Rihanna didn't reply, but narrowed her eyes, as though thinking something through.

"I know!" she said suddenly, making Elena jump. "…he got attacked by a monster when me and him were sent to the Great Glacier. I remember now." Rihanna sighed and shook her head. "… I can't believe we missed all of this when it was staring us right in the face."

"Tell me about it." Elena said. "I even saw the scar on his neck, and thought it looked recent… but it just didn't click." The blonde Turk stared up at the white ceiling, thinking about what they had just gone through. She hadn't been happier for as long as she could remember, even though one of her best friends was fighting for his life in the next room. Last she knew, he was dead, so this was certainly better. She couldn't pretend she wasn't worried though. The thought of losing Reno again, but this time forever terrified her. But something told her that he was going to pull through.

"Elena? Rihanna?"

Elena looked down from the ceiling and saw Tseng approaching the two of them. His expression had softened since they had seen him before, but he still looked stressed.

"Hello, sir." Elena said happily.

"Hey." Rihanna added lazily.

"You're both cheerful…" Tseng said raising an eyebrow. "… given the circumstances."

"Oh, you know…" Elena said. She grinned at Rihanna; Tseng clearly didn't understand.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Tseng asked, sitting down with them both.

"Well… we went over to Sector 6-" Elena began. "-me, Rihanna and Phoenix… well Reno. We wanted find out the truth about Reno and Phoenix… we met the real Phoenix, and he told us about Reno, then he… shot him."

"Wait, slow down." Tseng said. "Now… who _is _the real Phoenix?"

"He's a vampire." Rihanna said casually, examining her finger-nails. "He's Valicia's brother."

"Valicia's brother?" Tseng said, shocked. "Did you know that before you left?"

"I knew that years ago." Rihanna said suddenly. Elena stared at her. "I remember Phoenix once mentioned his family… I'd forgotten about it."

"Why did you go?" Tseng asked. "If you knew that, then you would have known that the only way you could have killed Phoenix would have been the same way Reno killed Valicia."

"Don't you see sir?" Elena asked. "There's a loop-hole. Either that or Oner was on the vampires side. How did Reno manage to kill Vanessa without sacrificing himself? When you think about it, he killed Valicia without sacrificing himself… unless-"

"Valicia is dead." Interrupted a deep, husky voice. Elena looked up to see Rude standing near them; she hadn't even notice him approaching. "I saw her body myself."

"Did you not see Reno's body then?" Rihanna asked.

"No…" Rude said with a thoughtful expression on his face.  
"So, he was already gone." Tseng said.

"Rude!" Rihanna said suddenly. "Reno's alive!"

"I know…" Rude said. "I heard."

Elena stared at Rude, as though daring him to show some kind of recognition to the fact that his best friend was alive. Just as she thought, the bald Turk couldn't stop himself from smiling no matter how hard he tried, and as he put his hand up to his face, Elena was sure he wiped a tear away from behind his sunglasses.

That was is though, Elena was ecstatic, and so was everyone else, even Rude. But she knew that although they had Reno back, their mission was far from over, and she knew they would risk losing Reno all over again. But, as she'd said to herself before, things would be different this time, and she would let no one, including the other Turks run straight into the fire alone again.

* * *

**A/N: **That's it, let me know what you thought, and if you didn't review all the other chapters, please review this one! Don't forget to check out the sequel, coming soon!!


	41. Note

**_Hey guys!_**

**_Thank you so much for reading/reviewing/faving etc. And I'm sorry this story ended up so long XD_**

**_If you're interested, I've just put up the sequel 'The Final Showdown' this morning. I'd really appreciate any hits and reviews._**

**_Have a great summer_**

**_reno-xxxXXXxxx_**


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